There is a version of your life...
that only ever existed in your imagination.
The relationship.
The house.
The career.
The money.
The friendships.
The confidence.
The places you'd travel.
The person you thought you'd become.
And somewhere along the way, many of us created an invisible deadline:
“By 30...”
“By 35...”
“Definitely by 40...”
Then we arrive at that age and realise our actual life looks nothing like the one we'd imagined.
And quietly, we begin to wonder:
“Have I fallen behind?”
In this episode of She’s Not Asking Anymore, I explore the invisible timelines we place on our lives — and what happens when reality takes us somewhere we never planned to go.
We talk about social comparison, the pressure of life's supposed milestones, and why somebody else's good news can sometimes touch something tender inside us even when we're genuinely happy for them.
We explore the grief that can come with losing a future you once imagined — even if that future never actually existed — and why acknowledging “I really wanted that” doesn't make you ungrateful for the life you have.
Because you can be grateful...
and disappointed.
You can celebrate somebody else's happiness...
and still feel an ache for something you want.
You can love the life you've built...
and still wonder about the life that never happened.
And perhaps most importantly:
Different doesn't mean over.
Maybe the original dream needs adapting.
Maybe it needs grieving.
Maybe you've realised you don't even want it anymore.
Or maybe...
it needs resurrecting.
This week's practice, The Two Futures, asks you to honour The Life I Thought I'd Have before turning the page and asking:
What do I actually want from here?
Not according to somebody else's timeline.
Not according to the plan you made when you knew less about yourself.
From where you're standing today.
Because perhaps the question isn't:
“Where should I be by now?”
Perhaps it's:
“Given where I actually am... where would I like to go?”
🎙️ She’s Not Asking Anymore — Season 2, Episode 9
The Life You Thought You’d Have By Now
Your life is not a failed version of an old plan.
It's still happening.
There are people you haven't met yet.
Places you haven't stood.
Conversations you haven't had.
Versions of yourself you haven't become.
And days that will eventually become some of your favourite memories...
that haven't even happened yet.
So honour the life you thought you'd have.
But don't let an old dream stop you from creating a new one.
You've still got pages to write. 💖✨️