Not Too Late

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where I am in life, and where I thought I’d be by now.

It’s not easy to admit, but there are moments when I feel like I’ve failed.
Moments when I sit alone and think, This isn’t the life I planned for myself.

I have a full-time job. I’ve lived abroad. I’ve experienced new cultures, met people from different backgrounds, and pushed myself outside of my comfort zone. These are things I’m grateful for, and they’ve shaped who I am in big ways.

But even with all that… I still find myself comparing my life to others.
Especially people online—on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn.
People younger than me, smiling in perfect lighting, announcing their new job, their engagement, their house, their growing family.
And every time I see it, a little voice in my head says, You’re behind.
You were supposed to have all that by now, too.

When I was younger, I had a clear picture of what life would look like at this age.
By 30, I thought I’d be retired.
I thought I’d have my own home, a strong savings account, a family, freedom.
I really believed that if I worked hard enough, I’d get there.
And I did work hard. Through school, through tough jobs, through moments where I wanted to give up but didn’t.

But things didn’t turn out the way I expected.
And that reality hit me hard.

I started feeling like I had let myself down.
Like I had let others down—my family, maybe even my younger self.
I spent a lot of days feeling low. I wasn’t just sad. I felt stuck.
Like I was frozen in place while everyone else was moving forward.

I didn’t talk about it much.
Because from the outside, it probably looked like I was doing fine.
I was traveling, working, exploring—but inside, I was struggling.
And what made it even harder was the constant pressure I put on myself.
I thought I had to figure everything out right now.
I thought I had to prove that I wasn’t falling behind.

But somewhere along the way, things started to shift.
It wasn’t one big moment. It was small things.
Listening to podcasts where people talked honestly about their struggles.
Reading stories from others who felt the same.
Letting myself feel the disappointment, instead of hiding from it.

And most of all—giving myself permission to stop comparing.

That’s when I sat down and wrote a poem.
It wasn’t planned. It just came out of me, during one of those quiet nights when I was finally honest with myself.
It was my way of reminding myself that I’m not alone in feeling this way.
And maybe you need that reminder too.

Not Too Late
By Firmina Gonçalves

The world moves fast,
and I have fallen behind.
I watch people younger than me
build their dreams,
find love,
create lives that shine,
and I wonder if I missed my chance.

I wonder if I will always be this—
the one who starts and stops,
who hesitates too long,
who waits for change
but never steps toward it.

I wonder if time will keep slipping
until I wake up one day
and realize I never really lived.

But then I remind myself:

Not everyone blooms at the same time.
Not every path moves in a straight line.
And even if I have wasted time,
even if I have been lost for too long—

I am still here.
And as long as I am here,
I am not too late.

There is still a life waiting for me.
And maybe, just maybe,
I am ready to start living it.

This poem became something I now come back to when I feel the pressure rising again.
It reminds me that I don’t need to rush. I don’t need to follow someone else’s timeline.
I don’t need to have it all figured out to be proud of where I am.

I’m allowed to take my time.
I’m allowed to give myself more than just a second chance.
A third, a fifth, a tenth.
As many chances as it takes.

I’m learning to meet myself where I am—without judgment.
I’m learning that I can still want more while being grateful for what I already have.
I’m learning that comparison only steals joy.
And that joy lives in the process, not just in the destination.

So if you’ve been feeling behind,
If you’ve been carrying quiet shame about where you are in life,
I want to tell you something simple and true:

You are not late.
You are not a failure.
You are not alone.

You’re just living a different story than the one you imagined.
And that’s okay.

There is still time.
Still space.
Still hope.
Still life.

You are still here. And that is enough to begin again.

Thanks for reading. And if this touched something in you, I’d love to hear from you.
Be kind to yourself today. You deserve that much.