The idea that you should be further along by now is absolutely distracting you from doing what you need to be doing.

You probably can’t fire up your favorite social media site, attend a networking event, or stream your favorite show without being confronted with someone who *appears* to be doing the thing you want at a higher level or who has the client/career/car/contracts you’ve been working so hard to attain.

First, appearances are deceiving. Nothing on social media is real. People at networking events are not showing you the whole truth. The people on your favorite shows are literally pretending for a living. Sound familiar?

Second, it’s much healthier for you to remember that everyone goes at a different pace and where you are at today is such an important part of your journey. 

I’m not telling you to stop working hard or just sit back and hope that all your professional dreams come true without any effort from you. I’m just offering that it’s okay to work hard for an eventual outcome and still enjoy where you are at today.

It’s even okay for someone to be ahead of you along the path. Be happy for them. Learn from them. 

Work hard. Enjoy building something cool. Celebrate your progress. Stop comparing your work to their work.

You are right where you need to be.