Have you ever felt like life tries to turn everything into a race? Deadlines, schedules, social media demanding your attention—everywhere you look, it’s like the world is waving a stopwatch in your face.

But here’s the thing: life isn’t a 100-meter dash. It’s not even a marathon. It’s more like... freestyle dance. Everyone’s got their own moves, their own tempo, and let’s be honest—some of us "outside the box" kids are just out here doing the funky chicken while everyone else is waltzing. And that’s splendiferous!

The trouble starts when we let other people’s rhythms mess with our own. It’s easy to look around and think, “Shouldn’t I be moving faster? Shouldn’t I be doing more? Maybe I oughta be flapping my arms like I'm getting ready for takeoff!"

But who decided that faster means better? A hummingbird might flap its wings 80 times a second, but a tortoise still gets where it’s going. Imagine a tortoise trying to keep up with a hummingbird—it’d be ridiculous, not to mention exhausting. Hm. Now I'm trying to imagine a tortoise with wings. And hovering.

Anyhoo... living at your own pace means tuning out the noise from everyone else, which isn’t always easy. The world loves to shout things like, “Hustle harder!” or “Why aren’t you achieving X, Y, and Z by now?”

But here’s the secret: those milestones aren’t essential. And they aren't for everyone anyway. Plus they’re not written in stone, and they definitely weren’t scribbled down just for you! What works for one person might not work for another, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. Because as similar as we are in many ways, we're also very different from one another.

Think about music for a second. Not every song is a high-energy pop hit. Some are slow ballads, others are jazzy improvisations, and then there’s that one weird experimental track nobody fully understands but some lovely souls enjoy. Each has its place.

The same goes for people. Some of us are fast-paced powerhouses, while others are slow-burn dreamers. Both are valid, essential, and interesting. Neither one is better than the other.

When you stop trying to match someone else’s tempo, you start to notice your own rhythm. Maybe it’s a little slower than the person next to you, or maybe it’s faster, or maybe it changes every day. Whatever it is, it’s yours. And when you lean into it, life feels less like a frantic shuffle and more like a tune that fits you perfectly.

So the next time you feel pressured to speed up, slow down, or change direction altogether, take a breath. Dance to your own beat, even if it’s a little off-tempo. The people who matter will fall in step, and the rest can keep on waltzing.