What lessons has your life journey taught you?

Sarah | Kirikiriroa

Sarah embraces her unique life path by questioning societal expectations, owning her choices, and being grounded in who she is.

“You put so much pressure on yourself to achieve all these things before certain ages. It’s good to shake the cage a little, but you just hold these little things to yourself and you’re like, ‘I should have done that.’

With my family and friend base, you want to get married and have kids – there are all these checkpoints in life. But I kind of find in that way I’ve shaken the cage a little and done things a bit differently. That’s my life learning, and I’ve kind of enjoyed the journey.

Society says you should get married when you’re with a partner and have kids, but I’ve taken a step back and asked, ‘Is this for me?’ It’s scary, but you reassess where you’re at in life. I’ve stood in my own and really owned my path and journey. Those around me sense that I’m grounded, I know who I am as a person, and I think getting to that ripe old age, you just know who you are.

In the moment, I often tell friends, ‘I shouldn’t be here, I should be there.’ But looking back, you sit with what happened, feel the emotions, and go, ‘Cool.’ There are so many little paths you could have veered off toward, but you just have to be present and own where you’re at.”