The older I get, the more I begin to notice my once-secure world changing around me. Everyone tells you that once you graduate high school, that's when your real life begins; they're not kidding you. For some it may not happen right away, for others, it may hit them like a slap in the face.

It all starts happening in a whirlwind around you. Not soon after graduating, some of your fellow classmates have enlisted in the military and are being shipped off to boot camp, while others find themselves a full-time job in your small home-town and are pregnant with their first, or second, child. Then, my personal favorite, are the classmates who are getting married, almost less than a year after graduating. I'm not dogging on anyone, I am just simply pointing out that these ever-so changing surroundings start to feel like a world closing in on you.

Next thing you know, you're at family functions and everyone is asking how school or work is and what are your plans for the next four years? When are you going to give them grand-kids or settle down with someone? Suddenly, you want to hand a Xanax to all of your relatives, telling them to slow their roll.

Why is that? Why is there so much pressure once you graduate high school to start acting like a middle-aged adult? If you're like me, then you are noticing that those friends of yours that are getting married next October, make you feel like maybe you should be searching for potential husbands as soon as possible. Or you might be thinking, "well dang, they already have their own home and a dog, what am I doing wrong?"

The answer is nothing. You're doing absolutely nothing wrong, you are just living your life. And that's exactly what you should be doing. Don't let the world around you push you towards something you aren't yet ready for. If you're not ready to get married or can't afford to purchase your own home, then so be it! This is your life and no one other than yourself should be telling you how to live it.

The pressure is always going to be on to please your family and friends, but at the end of the day, you should focus on making yourself happy.

Spend less time comparing yourself to others and spend more time making others want to compare their life to yours.