The Myth of “Catching Up”
If you keep thinking you’re supposed to “catch up,” you’re agreeing to always feel behind.
Catching up to what, exactly?
I started a new job recently.
It’s not glamorous or creative or particularly special, but it’s what I wanted. I needed something steady that wouldn’t drain me dry. Something that could pay the bills without demanding every last bit of my brain or soul, so I could still have energy for the stuff that actually matters to me.
I feel stuck.
And it’s working, technically. It’s doing what I hoped it would do. I have more time now. I’m making progress. I’m not burnt out. But also… I feel stuck.
Like I’m watching my life move in slow motion while the world sprints around me.
It’s this weird in-between state, like I did everything right on paper, but emotionally, it doesn’t feel like momentum. It feels like I’m trailing behind some invisible finish line that never stops moving.
The idea of "catching up" is a trap.
And that’s when it hit me: the idea of "catching up" is a trap.
Every time I think I’m getting close, closing the gap on projects, getting my energy back, lining things up again, some new metric shows up. Some new thing I’m supposed to care about. Another trend. Another expectation. Another person who seems further along.
It’s exhausting.
Progress is constant.
Progress is constant. It doesn’t stop. That’s the good news and the bad news. If you keep thinking you’re supposed to “catch up,” you’re basically agreeing to always feel behind.
Because there’s no finish line. There’s no magical point where everything’s done and you get to rest forever. And if there was, let’s be honest, you’d probably find a new thing to chase within the week.
"Behind" is usually a feeling, not a fact.
I’ve been realizing that being "behind" is usually a feeling, not a fact. It’s how I feel when I compare my current pace to someone else’s highlight reel. Or when I stack up every to-do in my brain and pretend I should’ve already done all of it by yesterday.
But when I zoom out, when I actually pay attention to where I was a month ago, or even a week ago, I can see the progress. Clear as day. Just… quieter. Less dramatic. More sustainable.
The kind that moves slow, but never stops.
That’s the version of success I’m trying to get comfortable with: the kind that doesn’t scream. The kind that moves slow but never stops. The kind that makes room for my creative self instead of squeezing it out.
You’re not actually behind.
If you’re feeling behind right now, I hope you know it’s okay to move at your own speed. Especially if you’re moving with intention.
Because you’re not actually behind.
You’re just alive in a world that never stops.
And maybe the most powerful thing you can do is… stop trying to catch up.
I loved reading this. Behind is a feeling not a fact is going to stay with me!
"Behind" is usually a feeling, not a fact." - SO true! Great post.