What imaginary timelines do you have that are holding you back from success?

You know, the “I want to be married by 28, so I have to get engaged at 26, and since I want to date for three years before getting engaged, I have to find the love of my life this year since I’m 23.”

Or the “Since I started my job three years ago, I should at least be at associate level getting paid $100k next year, and then by the time I’m 35, be at the VP level if I stick with this company for a while.”

Don’t decide to be with someone just because they meet some imaginary timeline you have on your life.

Don’t stick with a job just because it meets some imaginary timeline you have in your life.

Yes, time-bound goals are important to your success in actually achieving your goal.

But putting imaginary timelines on your life can hold you back from…

➡️ Recognizing new, better opportunities

Having a timeline for certain aspects of your life can create tunnel vision.

This means you settle for whatever or whoever meets your timeline instead of considering all options available to you.

➡️ Trying something outside your comfort zone, challenging yourself to be better

In the same vein, tunnel vision stunts your personal growth by depleting your ability to recognize and take on new challenges.

If you have an imaginary timeline for your life, it’s possible that you stick to the clearest path with the Easiest Viable Solution to getting what you think you want, rather than figuring out what exactly it is that you need.

➡️ Keep you attached to society’s standards, leading to a life of being a follower rather than a pioneer

Many of the imaginary timelines we have are tied to the expectations we feel we must uphold from whatever society says about who we are.

For example, many women struggle with the idea of getting married later in life, especially if they want to have children, given the fact that women have a sort of “biological clock.”

This could lead to an imaginary timeline like I described above, with women putting an immense amount of pressure on themselves to get married by a certain age, so they can have kids by a certain age.

✅The expectations society has put on you may lead you to have imaginary timelines like this that keep you on the beaten path and unable to make decisions and set goals that are off the beaten path.

Every timeline you put on your life has implications.

You may think that it’s just some ideal you have in your mind, and you’re not actually tied to that timeline.

But take a step back and assess the situation from a 3rd person POV to gauge how these imaginary timelines are impacting your life.

❗The sooner you can let go of these timelines, the more aligned and in sync you can become with the actual timeline of your life that’s playing out right before your eyes. ❗