Something that’s truly been top of mind as I near 35? Emptiness. Fulfillment. Purpose.

You ever glance around your life and think, “By all accounts, I’m killing it” but the truth is, it feels like you’re trapped in someone else’s story?

Decent job? Got it.
Instagram-worthy apartment, the right friends, the mundane weekend gatherings? Check, check, and check.

But underneath all the perfectly curated posts and polite smiles, there’s a quiet ache. A silent type of loneliness. A feeling that the very life you fought so hard to build is slowly losing its meaning.

This isn’t just burnout or stress. It’s definitely some of it, but not all of it. It’s something deeper. The grief no one talks about: the slow, invisible heartbreak of outgrowing the life you once thought you wanted. The one you chased in school, the one you believed would make you happy.

Growing Up is Wild

High school me knew she wanted to be a girl boss. You know the type, the ambitious, unapologetic, take-no-prisoners, grab life by the balls hustler. I was convinced education and career success were my golden ticket. And don’t get me wrong, they absolutely still are. The value of a solid education and a dependable career is undeniable; they’re your best fallback when everything else feels shaky.

But here’s the thing that’s become crystal clear in my 30s: I don’t want the relentless hustle culture anymore. I don’t want to sprint on a treadmill that only goes faster the harder I work.

I want something else.

I want quiet mornings surrounded by mountains.
A smaller city that feels like a community, a little crunchy, where people drive old cars and show up to coffee runs without full glam.
Where success is measured by peace of mind, by the richness of slow conversations, by the freedom to just be — not by how many boxes I tick on a to-do list.

External Success Does Not Guarantee Internal Peace.

You can climb every bit of the corporate ladder and still wake up wondering what’s the point?

You can be “that girl” in every group…the one who seems to have it all together, but still feel hollow, exhausted, or disconnected from yourself.

Society’s blueprint tells us to chase the next promotion, the next achievement, the “perfect” relationship, the “dream” life. But when you follow it blindly, it can leave you feeling more lost than fulfilled.

So Why Do We Do It?

Because outgrowing a dream feels like grief.

It’s mourning the person you thought you’d become, and like.
It’s letting go of a vision you worked hard for but that no longer fits who you are.
It’s the uncomfortable tension between gratitude for what you’ve achieved and the yearning for something more authentic, more you.

You’ve been told success equals happiness, so admitting otherwise feels like failure. But it’s not.

It’s growth.

Growth is messy. It’s scary. It means dismantling old identities, facing uncertainty, and risking what feels safe.

Growing Up Means Saying Goodbye

Goodbye to the career path that no longer fuels you.
Goodbye to relationships that outstay their welcome.
Goodbye to “shoulds” and “have tos” that keep you shrinking.

It means stepping into the unknown with the messy, thrilling faith that what’s next will be better — because it’s yours.

Gentle Reminders

It’s okay to grieve what you thought you wanted.
It’s okay to feel scared of starting over.
It’s okay if your path doesn’t look like anyone else’s.

Because true peace doesn’t come from checking boxes.
It comes from owning your story, with all its twists and turns, and having the courage to rewrite it on your own terms.

Listen to That Inner Voice.

Lean into it. Sit with it. Let it break you open — because on the other side of that grief is freedom.

Freedom to choose joy on your own terms.
Freedom to live a life that feels real.
Freedom to say no to what doesn’t serve you and yes to what sets your soul on fire.

Your real life begins not when you have it all figured out.
Not when you check all the boxes.
But now.

Right here. Right now.

There are no do overs.