Timelines are often arbitrary
We judge ourselves based on timelines we’re assigned, inherit, or imitate. We’re always on someone else’s timeline.
In school, students receive grades every quarter or semester. At the end of the term, if the student got an A, success! If he got a D or an F, failure.
At work, timelines are weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Success and failure is dictated by the standings at the end of those brief intervals. People get hired and fired, businesses take off or shutter.
The chronically-online tech bros obsess over ARR (annual recurring revenue). They juice sign-ups and pull all kinds of gimmicks to fit their success to that celebrated timeline.
“How many books did you read last year?” As if that answer provides any kind of useful information whatsoever. What does 365 days passing have to do with reading books?
We can all pick our own timelines for our own goals. Shared (or imposed) timelines help teams stay on track and working as a unit, or ensure a teacher can get through all the material for a class. But most of life isn’t a work project or a college class.
Everyone truly moves at their own pace. The best things in life usually take a while. Notice when you automatically assume a timeline and question whether it makes sense or not.