One of the things I hear from clients all the time goes something like this:
“I didn’t expect my life to go this way.”
“I had plans, and none of them happened.”
“I feel like I lost my way a long time ago.”
When people say this to me, there’s usually a quiet sadness underneath it. Not always dramatic grief. More like a low-level ache. The kind that shows up when you look around at your life and think, This is not what I thought it would be.
And I want to convey this right away. You are not alone in feeling this way. Not even close.
The Life You Imagined Was Not a Failure
Almost no one ends up living the life they pictured early on. We all had ideas. We had timelines. We had expectations about who we would be, what we would be doing, and how things would unfold.
When those things do not materialize, people often turn that disappointment inward. They assume it means they made bad choices, missed signs, or somehow failed at life.
That is not how I see it. And it’s definitely not how Spirit sees it.
Letting go of the life you thought you would have does not mean it was foolish or wrong to want it. Those dreams mattered. They shaped you. They motivated you. But they were never meant to be a rigid contract you had to fulfill.
They were one possible version. Not the only one.
You Didn’t Lose Your Way
Many people tell me they feel like they lost their way somewhere along the line. What they usually mean is that their life stopped following the plan they made when they were younger and knew far less about how life actually works.
I don’t see that as being lost. I see that as adapting.
You responded to circumstances. You adjusted to things you could not control. You survived experiences you never planned for. That’s not failure. That’s life.
Spirit does not view detours the way we do. There is no judgment for changing direction. There is no disappointment about paths that closed. There is only experience, growth, and the choices you make from where you are now.
Playing the Hand You Have Now
One of the hardest shifts is releasing the constant comparison between what is and what you thought should have been. Holding onto that old vision takes a lot of energy. And at some point, it starts to keep you stuck in a timeline that no longer exists.
Spirit’s guidance is often very simple. Play the hand you are holding now.
That does not mean liking every card. It means asking yourself better questions.
What is actually available to me now?
What strengths did I develop because things did not go as planned?
What meaning can I create from where I really am?
Some of the most fulfilled people I know did not feel settled or aligned until much later than they expected. Their lives look nothing like the early blueprint they imagined. And yet, they found purpose and peace anyway.
I didn’t manifest my dream career until I was 36 years old and had gone through so many other career paths.
You Are Not Behind
If your life does not resemble the vision you once had, it doesn’t mean you missed your chance. It means you are standing at a different starting point.
From a soul perspective, this moment matters just as much as any other. You are not being evaluated on how closely you followed an outdated plan. You are being invited to engage with your life as it exists right now.
And yes, that can be frustrating. But it can also be freeing.
You do not have to become the person you thought you would be.
You only have to work with who you are today.
