What You Need to Know If You're Feeling Behind in Life
If you’ve ever looked around and thought, “How am I this far behind?”—this episode is for you, sister. Whether it's in fitness, motherhood, your career, relationships, or money… that sinking feeling of falling behind is so common, but also completely misleading.
In this heartfelt episode, I’m breaking down the truth behind that “I should be further along” mindset, and offering you real, practical perspective shifts to help you move forward with more clarity, peace, and power. You’ll walk away feeling lighter, more grounded, and deeply reminded that your timeline is still right on time.
What I Discuss:
Why feeling behind often means you actually care
The myth of a “universal timeline” and how to stop comparing yours
How to reframe the inner dialogue of “I should be further along”
Using your desire for more as fuel—not shame
The power of moving just one inch forward each day
Why your current season is sacred, even if it looks messy
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Transcript:
00:00
Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go.
00:35
Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace your Real podcast. I'm going to be real honest with you right out the gate. Today, if you've ever looked around at other people, whether it's on social media, in your friend group, even in your family, and thought how am I this far behind? This episode is for you, whether it's in your fitness journey, your career, your relationship status, motherhood, money, life in general. Feeling behind is one of the most common and painful emotions that we carry, but it's also one of the most unnecessary. So today I want to speak directly to your heart, not as a fitness coach, not as someone with a podcast or a platform, but as someone who has been in that spiral. I've had the same thoughts. I should be further along by now. Everyone seems to have it figured out. What's wrong with me? Let's talk about it. Let's start untangling the lies from the truth, because there is so much truth that I think that you need to hear right now. But before I dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from Mommy of Boys. She gave a five-star review and said amazing, love your passion for helping other women and their health and wellness. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day. Really do appreciate every single one of your guys' reviews. They really do mean the world to me and our team Just kind of know how the podcast, or maybe a specific episode in general, has helped you. So thank you in advance for scooching over to Apple Podcasts and leaving a rating interview.
01:43
Okay, first things first. There is no universal timeline, seriously like it doesn't exist. The fitness goal that you haven't hit the baby, that you haven't had the house, that you haven't bought the marriage, the promotion, the income bracket, the ideal body, whatever it is that you're still waiting on? You are not late, you are not behind. You are on your own timeline. I get it, though. We live in a world that's obsessed with these milestones. They're everywhere Engagement photos, pregnancy announcements, career wins, six pack selfies, we just bought our dream home, all of those things.
02:11
And even if you know logically, that that it's a highlight reel, it can still mess with your head and mess with your heart because you're still sitting there in your real life. Maybe your house is a mess, your workout streak got interrupted by real life. You're just trying to keep up and you see someone else's shiny, filtered life moment and suddenly it feels like you're the one who's behind, like everyone got the memo about how fast things should happen, but you missed it. But, sister, I need you to hear this you are not on their timeline. You are not meant to be.
02:41
Just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that it's not going to, and it also doesn't mean that it's too late. It might just mean that it's a different chapter, a different rhythm, a different path altogether, and that doesn't make your journey wrong. It makes it yours. In fact, the things that take longer to arrive oftentimes mean more when they do, because you weren't handed them on a silver platter, you grew into them. So if the timeline that you imagined is looking different than the one that you're actually on, I want you to take a breath that this does not mean that you failed. It doesn't mean that your body is messed up. It doesn't mean that your life is in chaos. It means that life is unfolding in the way that you uniquely need it to. It means that you're building depth. It means that you're building resilience. It means that you're building wisdom in the process, not just ticking off boxes. So don't let someone else's speed make you doubt your own progress. The pace isn't what matters. The direction is, and you, my friend, are still in motion, even if it's slower, even if it's messier, even if you feel like you took five steps backwards, even if it looks like nothing, like you thought it would. Your timeline is valid, your timeline is worthy and your timeline is enough.
03:55
But the most important thing that I want you to know is that feeling behind often means that you're paying attention and this one might surprise you, but if you're feeling behind, it usually means that you care. It means you're paying attention not just to what's going around you, but to what's happening within you. You're noticing what's important to you. You've tuned into your desires, your values, your vision for your life and the ache that you feel when someone else hits that milestone, that little pang of ugh. I just wish I was there by now. That's not failure, that's not jealousy. That's your brain highlighting something that matters to you. It's awareness, it's clarity.
04:32
And, yes, clarity can, and oftentimes does hurt, because when you know what you want but you don't have it yet, the space between where you are and where you want to be can feel frustrating and even painful. But you know, what's even more uncomfortable is feeling numb, not knowing what you want, not feeling anything at all. So if you're still sitting there thinking, why does it feel like I'm falling behind? What if that question is actually a sign that you're fully awake to your own life? It's actually proof that you're dreaming, that you do have goals, that you're actively engaged in becoming the woman that you're meant to be. Now here's where I want to take it a step deeper. If you feel behind, it's because you want something deeply, and that's not a sign of weakness, that's a gift. It means that there's something inside of you that knows that you're meant for more. It means that you're clear on what you value and what you crave. And not everyone gets that kind of clarity. So honor it. But this is the key Don't diminish that desire within yourself.
05:31
Don't take that beautiful longing and turn it into self-judgment. Instead of using that energy to shame yourself, use it as fuel for yourself. Use it as motivation to take action, even small ones. Even in the times that you feel like you don't have control over the situation, you do have control over how you react to it. How am I going to sit in this waiting season? Because the moment that you stop using your desire to tear yourself down and start using it to build yourself up, that's when things shift.
06:00
So the next time that that voice creeps in and says why don't I have that yet, I want you to pause. I want you to take a breath and gently ask yourself okay, what's the one thing I can do today to move one inch closer to where I want? Not a mile, not a total life makeover, just one inch, because one inch is still forward. And if you move one inch every day, that adds up. Progress isn't always big and isn't always dramatic. More often it's slow, it's quiet and it's very intentional.
06:30
So let that feeling of being quote unquote behind become fuel, not to chase somebody else's timeline, not to chase what you thought your timeline would be, but to stay devoted to your life. You're not behind, you're paying attention and that my friend is so powerful. All right, so there you have it. Those are my thoughts on if you are feeling behind. I know this was a deep one, but I really do hope and pray that it met you right where you needed it today.
06:57
If there's one thing that I want you to walk away with from today's episode, it's this you are not behind, you are not late, you are not doing life wrong. You are simply on your own timeline and yes, that timeline might look different from the timeline that you imagined. No matter how different it is from the people around you, it's still worthy, it's still valid and it's still leading you to exactly where you need to go. If you're feeling behind, it's only because you're paying attention. It means that you care, it means that you want more for yourself and, instead of using that as ammo to tear yourself down or to get bitter or jealous, I want you to start using that as fuel to move forward, not in giant leaps, not in overnight transformations, but in small, meaningful inches. So the next time that you catch yourself spiraling into this, I should be further along by now. I want you to pause and I want you to remind yourself I am not behind. I am aware and I'm still moving forward. You got this and, as always, I am here cheering you on every step of the way.
07:59
If you loved today's episode, if it spoke to your heart today, it would mean the absolute world to me. If you shared it with a friend who might need it and if you haven't, again, if you could take a second to rate and review the show. It helps keep us showing up here and creating episodes to support you through all seasons of life. If you love this episode through all seasons of life, if you love this episode, I know you'll also love episode 271, eight things you need to do to achieve your goals. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes below, but that is all that I have for today's episode.
08:26
And until next time, embrace your real. I love you so dang much and I mean it. All. Right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle For that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it, thank you.