ALL OF MY FRIENDS managed to graduate college and land cushy jobs the year before the recession of 2008 hit. I wasn’t so lucky. I graduated right when it happened, and as I neared 25, realizing I had nothing significant to show for my life, I began to think that the integral nature of those first post-graduate years had been lost to me. It sucked.

Now I’m 26, and I’m a Managing Editor for Matador, I’ve published my first eBook, and I just got engaged. It’s proof that life goals have no expiration date — if you want to achieve something badly enough, it can happen. It might take you longer than you thought, or it might happen at a different time in your life, but age is just a number we shouldn’t take so seriously. It’s what we do with our lives, that matters.

Check out this infographic if you need further reassurance.

life short

Image via Funders and Founders Notes.