I'd be the saddest of I had everything sorted by the age of 30

 

Just a heart to heart post.

As an Indian, I’ve been taught to chase after the big things early. Success is something to be pursued relentlessly—study hard, land a stable job, get married, buy a home, raise a family. And by 30, it seems, many expect these milestones to be neatly checked off. But what happens when you do? What happens when life’s map is laid out perfectly by the time you turn 30, and all those dreams are realized?

Strangely, that’s when the sadness begins. 

If I had everything sorted by 30, I’d be the saddest person alive. Saying this, while I still haven't touched the 30 mark, yet when I think about the state "everything sorted," life becomes a static line. The fire of struggle, the joy of discovery, and the mystery of what's to come—gone.

In a country like India, where diversity of culture, tradition, and purpose runs deep, our lives are usually filled with unpredictability. Yet, it’s this unpredictability that gives life color. If I wake up at 30 with every box checked, I might look like I’m living the perfect life, but deep down, a sense of loss would grip my soul. The loss of dreams I haven’t yet had the chance to dream. The loss of passions yet undiscovered. The loss of struggles that would have tested me, shaped me, and ultimately, given me new meaning.

Our society puts immense pressure on getting it all sorted quickly. We glorify those who’ve climbed to the top of the mountain at a young age. But no one talks about what lies beyond that peak—where do you go when there’s nowhere left to climb? We’re raised to think that the end of struggle is the end goal. But maybe struggle is the only thing that makes us feel truly alive.

The saddest part of having everything by 30 is that it leaves no room for becoming. Life is not a static checklist; it’s a journey, constantly evolving, teaching, and breaking us open to something deeper. If we stop evolving, if we stop becoming, we stop truly living.

In India, where spirituality, philosophy, and introspection have long been revered, perhaps the greatest lesson is that life isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about learning, growing, and finding joy in the spaces between where we are and where we want to be. By 30, if I’ve already "arrived," I fear I’d have nowhere else to go. 

And that’s why, if I had it all by 30, I’d be the saddest man alive. Because what’s life, really, without the thrill of the next unknown?