Life

12 Women Share What Their Lives Were Like At 25

by Nia Decaille

Chances are if you're reading this, you're coming up on the big 2-5 or have yet to get there. Or maybe you're completely over the mini-20s mid life crisis ordeal and laugh a great deal looking back on those days. Wherever you are, just remember that the promises you made yourself when you were 11 can and should change. If you had plans to start a family by 25 or at least have a steady partner before 30, it's more than OK that nothing is going as planned.

In fact, that's the beauty of it. You can keep dreaming and improvising as you go along. So ignore the little voice in your head that says you aren't adulting hard enough. Ignore the desire to feel jealous of friends and people you never talked to from high school tying the knot, celebrating on beaches in matching swimsuits, and having babies. Be happy for those people! Your path is still unfolding and there is nothing wrong with loving and accepting yourself right in this moment.

And if you need anymore confirmation, these Reddit users share what you should remember when you've got a good case of Facebook friend envy; by sharing where they were at 25, they are an important reminder that everyone's journey is unique.

1. Your 20s might just be an "emotional mixed bag."

2. It's OK to believe that it's supposed to be the best time of your life.

3. Never let fear stop you from starting over.

4. Twenty-five isn't the age of almost completion/perfect/nirvana.

5. It's OK to change your mind about everything.

6. You won't always have a plan, and that's OK.

7. You know that cliché about their being light at the end of the tunnel?

They were right.

8. You're learning about what you deserve. That's not easy.

9. You will encounter a lot of firsts.

Celebrate them.

10. Sometimes the unexpected just happens. Life just happens.

11. You will laugh about most of this years from now.

Most of all, be proud of yourself. You're paying off college loans, following your dreams, taking risks, moving away from home, insisting that problematic cultures change, traveling to new places, and proving that millennials are the generation that can change this big, crazy world. You may not have it all figured out by age 25, but keep going. You got this! Every mistake is a good story to share on what not to do. Every victory is an inspiring caption on Instagram that someone else will appreciate.