I feel like people always compare themselves to others. I did this in this amount of time. But not everyone functions on the same timeline. Your timeline is your own. It is what you make it. So, maybe you didn't get married young, or maybe you did. Maybe it took you longer to graduate or maybe it didn't. Maybe you had kids before getting married or maybe you waited. Maybe you decided to focus on a career before love or vice versa.

The fact that it took me longer to get a college degree doesn't diminish the fact that I got one. I put in the same amount of work as everyone else and did the same courses to earn my degree as all the other people who were majoring in the same thing as I was. It took me an extra two years to earn my bachelor's degree, but I'm still super proud of it. I even graduated as a member of an honor society. I'm so proud of myself that I've since gone on to take graduate-level studies and get even more education.

I am now working on a second master's degree even though my bachelors took an extra two years. I had a daughter at 19 before ever seeing a wedding, making me a single mother. But, none of that matters because I love my life. I love knowing that I did this, and I was determined to make it happen no matter the struggles I faced getting from Point A to Point B. That is not to say I didn't have help. My amazing mom, Tanja, was there for me every step of the way. Being my support system when no one else wanted to be there for me.

I am unique in how I lived my life and so is everyone else. No one's journey will be exactly like someone else's. That is one of the reasons life is always described as a journey. You never really know where you are going and where you'll end up, but if you stay true to yourself, you'll be amazing. Whatever path you choose, whatever you have already accomplished... be proud of yourself and always just be you.