Welcome back to Thursday Chronicles, your weekly reminder that you’re not crazy, just Nigerian and overwhelmed. If you’ve ever looked at your age, checked your bank account, sighed deeply, and whispered ‘Na wa for me,’ please come closer. Today, we’re dragging the unrealistic timelines society planted in our heads.
Somewhere along the line, we all created a mental calendar for our lives.
Graduate by 21.
Serve at 22.
Get a job by 23.
Own a car by 24.
Marry at 25.
Buy house by 27.
Have 2 kids and a thriving business by 30.
And live happily ever after with glowing skin and matching pajamas.
Now you’re 26, in a rented apartment, career still finding leg, relationship blurry like bad network, and you haven’t even finished paying back the ₦12k you borrowed to buy gas last month. Yet, you’re judging yourself like you’re running for Guinness World Record.
Why are we like this?
Every time you open Instagram or LinkedIn, someone’s getting married, buying a house in Lekki, relocating with their entire family, or starting a skincare brand with their dog. And there you are, still trying to figure out how to survive on a data plan and vibes. You see someone celebrating their “3rd property at 28” and suddenly you’re questioning everything, including your primary school choices.
But let’s be honest, most of these timelines are not even ours. They’re handed to us by family pressure, society standards, and motivational speakers who sleep 2 hours a day and tell you “you have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé.”
Please, Beyoncé has chefs and nannies. You have NEPA.
Nobody tells you life will curve. That there’ll be delays, detours, heartbreaks, pandemics, job loss, bad decisions, unexpected responsibilities, and moments where everything just… pauses.
You didn’t plan to spend an extra year at home after NYSC.
You didn’t expect to start over at 29.
You didn’t think you’d be in your late 20s still figuring things out.
But here you are, still breathing, still trying, still standing.
And that? That’s success in its own right.
It’s hard not to feel left behind. Society glorifies speed. You see someone doing in 2 years what you haven’t done in 7. But what they don’t show you is the full story, the background help, the lucky breaks, the sacrifice, or the quiet depression behind the soft life aesthetic.
Life is not a race. It’s not a straight road. It’s a winding path with potholes, traffic, and fuel scarcity. Some people take bike. Some take car. Some fly. But everyone moves at their own pace, and even a delay doesn’t mean denial.
Your timeline is valid. Even when it looks nothing like what you imagined.
You don’t fail because you’re not where you thought you’d be. You fail when you let shame and comparison steal your joy and blind you to how far you’ve actually come. You may not be living your dream life yet, but you’re not where you used to be either.
You’re learning. You’re growing. You’re trying. You’re unlearning. You’re surviving a tough country with a soft heart.
And that’s powerful.
Give yourself grace. Things might be slow now, but they’ll align. Maybe not by 25. Maybe not by 30. But they’ll align, because you’re not stagnant. You’re in motion, even when it feels like you’re crawling.
Thanks again for joining Thursday Chronicles, where we slap pressure with the hand of wisdom and drag timelines like it stole our money.
Whether you’re ahead, behind, or figuring it all out in between, just know: you’re not late. You’re just on your own path, and that path is still valid, still blessed, still unfolding.
Catch you next Thursday — same gist, same truth, same support system in Google Docs form.
Until then, breathe, reset your mind, and remember: success is not a deadline, it’s a direction.
