Psychology Today | 16.12.2025 08:31
We often talk about goals as if they exist on a universal schedule. From the time we’re young, we absorb unspoken expectations about when things should happen: graduate by ___, build a career by ___, marry by ___, peak professionally by ___, retire by ___. None of this is written anywhere, yet these “life scripts” quietly shape how we judge our progress and, more dangerously, what we allow ourselves to want. And in a culture fascinated with youth, we begin to equate timing with value. If we haven’t done something by a certain age, we worry we’re behind… even when our lives feel meaningful and full.
