Chiiiile, Please!

When the Timeline Lies: Grieving the Life You Thought You’d Have by Now

Let’s be real. You had a plan.By 25 (or 28 or 30), you thought you’d be married. Or have a baby. Or traveling the world. Or sitting in a corner office with a view and zero student loans.Instead… you’re somewhere between holding it together and holding back tears. This wasn’t the life you pictured—but it’s…

Coach C. Gresham
2–3 minutes
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Let’s be real.

You had a plan.
By 25 (or 28 or 30), you thought you’d be married. Or have a baby. Or traveling the world. Or sitting in a corner office with a view and zero student loans.
Instead… you’re somewhere between holding it together and holding back tears.

This wasn’t the life you pictured—but it’s the one you’re living.
And sometimes that gap between expectation and reality? It hurts.

🕰️ The Myth of the Magical Timeline

Somewhere along the way, we were handed a silent blueprint for life:
Graduate. Get the job. Fall in love. Get the ring. Buy the house. Have the baby. Be fulfilled.
Only no one said how non-linear it would be. No one warned us that healing would take longer than school. That jobs would ghost us. That grief could arrive out of nowhere. That love might look nothing like we expected.

But here’s the truth that’ll set you free:
You are not behind—you’re just living outside a borrowed timeline.
And baby girl, that’s not failure. That’s freedom.

🖤 Let Yourself Grieve the Dream

You’re allowed to grieve what didn’t happen.
You’re allowed to feel disappointed, even if you’re also grateful.
You’re allowed to want more, even while making peace with what is.

This isn’t about wallowing—it’s about witnessing. Giving yourself the space to say:

“That dream meant something to me. And even though it didn’t happen like I hoped… I’m still worthy of dreaming again.”

Grief isn’t weakness. It’s sacred release. And it clears space for what’s real.

✨ Life Coaching Tips: What to Do When the Timeline Feels Off

  1. Unfollow the Timeline, Follow Your Values:
    Ask yourself: What actually matters to me now? Build around that, not pressure.
  2. Reframe the “Delay”:
    Try this affirmation:
    “My life is not late. It’s unfolding in divine alignment with who I’m becoming.”
  3. Make Room for the Plot Twist:
    That job loss, that breakup, that random opportunity—it might be the reroute that saves you.
  4. Celebrate What Did Happen:
    Make a list: “10 things I never planned for—but now can’t imagine my life without.”

💬 Final Word

Grief doesn’t mean you’ve given up.
It means you’re human.
It means you cared.
It means you’re clearing emotional space for what’s next.

You are not broken because your life looks different than you imagined.
You are not behind.
You are becoming—bravely, beautifully, imperfectly.

Let the timeline go.
Hold onto yourself.

With grace and grit,
Coach G
@ProvokeChange
Chiiiile Please Blog

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