In a world that increasingly champions the unconventional path—and rightly so!—it’s easy to feel like every choice must be a radical departure from the norm. We celebrate the rebels, the trailblazers, and those who bravely rewrite the rulebook. And while I deeply resonate with that spirit (and even wrote a whole post on it!), it’s also important to acknowledge that sometimes, the most fulfilling decisions are the ones that actually align with more traditional routes. Ultimately, this life is your journey, and you have the power to choose what that looks like for you.

This isn’t a contradiction; it’s a testament to the fact that authenticity comes in many forms. Just as I’ve found true joy and growth in forging my own unique way in certain areas of life, I’ve also discovered profound purpose and happiness in embracing some deeply conventional milestones. These weren’t choices made out of obligation or fear of missing out, but rather intentional steps that genuinely served my journey.

So, if you’ve ever felt a quiet appreciation for the more traditional aspects of life amidst a chorus of “break free!”—this one’s for you. Sometimes, the conventional path isn’t a compromise; it’s simply the right road home.

Just as with my last post, my hope is that you find something meaningful and helpful from the story of my personal experiences. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you.

Graduated College

Like I mentioned in my previous post on the unconventional things I did, I finished two bachelor degrees — one in business, one in civil engineering. I started a masters towards Social Work, but ultimately decided that wasn’t the right path for me.

I’m glad I chose to follow where I felt led (to go back to college), because it showed me what I needed to learn about myself — that another degree wasn’t what I needed or wanted.

Spending more money on a full semester of graduate school was worth learning a life lesson I needed.

Advice you often hear is “don’t do ____ or you’ll just be wasting money”. And I totally get that advice and it comes from a well meaning place, but sometimes in life, you need to do the thing so you can learn the lesson.

That said, I don’t know that I’d say college is for everyone or that you should go to college. In the world we currently live in, you can absolutely build something amazing without having a college degree.

In fact, some of the companies we currently use daily are worth billions and were created by college dropouts (like Facebook, Apple, and Google).

I also think there’s value in the experience of going to college and studying a higher level education.

Had a Career Using my Degree

Working in a job where you’re using a degree seems to be an unwritten successful milestone.

While this is something I did, I’m going to come back to the point I previously made — I really believe that sometimes in life, you’re meant to do the thing so you can learn the lesson.

For example, there’s a travel content creator I follow on Instagram (for ideas and tips on places to travel) who shares about how she is an epidemiologist turned travel content creator, currently getting paid to travel. She got to a point in her life where she decided she wanted more than just working her corporate job, she wanted to be able to travel while making a living (and paying the bills).

Do you think this is a lesson she would have learned if it weren’t for working a job/living a life she realized she didn’t want to do anymore?

How are you supposed to know these things when you’re a teenager trying to figure out what to go to college for?

That’s the hard part.

You don’t know until you get the life experience.

And on the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of people who are satisfied working the job they work.

For me, I’m grateful I was able to use my degree for my career. I’m also grateful that my experiences taught me that that career wasn’t the only thing I wanted to accomplish with my life and skills.

Got Married

Something I always knew I wanted, I just waited until I found the right person like I mentioned in my previous post. It took wayyy longer than I thought it would but was totally worth the wait.

I also want to add that maybe you’re in a season where you don’t know if you want to get married, or you already know you don’t want to get married.

Ultimately, you have to choose what’s right for you.

My point here is simply referring to me getting married later in life in my thirties instead of in my twenties which is more conventional.

If I’d had the choice though, I would’ve gotten married in my twenties. I would’ve loved creating memories with my husband sooner.

Started a Family

Another thing I always knew I wanted but wanted it with the right person. Society didn’t convince me of this, it’s just something I’ve known since I was little and was reaffirmed when I went though my personal development journey.

Just like getting married, this is something I wanted earlier and wish I would’ve had earlier (in my twenties). But God’s timing is always perfect and I love the little family we’re growing.

Focused on Personal Growth and Self-Development

Should this be conventional or non-conventional? Not entirely sure. 😂

I do believe it was such an important time of my life. I started in my mid-late twenties around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old and took time to discover myself, my purpose, what I wanted from life, who I wanted to become, what I wanted to accomplish with my time on this side of heaven.

The book She Means Business by Carrie Green played a big part in this transformational time of my life.

Journaling was also major in helping me grow and discover myself through this phase. There are so many more books I could recommend from this phase but I do think a lot of them are business-focused. I shared some of my productivity favorites here!

Achieved Financial Security

People might argue that because I didn’t have a family this was much easier for me and I can’t really disagree with that (especially now that I have a family).

But the truth is, anybody can be bad with money, whether you make $50K, $250K or are a millionaire.

The news stories are filled with rich and famous going bankrupt because they’re spending money on anything and everything.

The problem isn’t how much you make, it’s how you spend what you make.

In my twenties, I kept thinking, “once I make more, I’ll be able to afford _____”. But if you’re not paying attention to what you spend, what ends up happening is the more you make, the more you find new ways to spend it…and still feel broke.

I thought that once I graduated from college and got a steady job, I’d be much better off. But five years later I was still in the same place and with credit card debt that wasn’t getting paid down.

That was when I found Dave Ramsey. Dave says, “normal is broke” and I didn’t want to be broke or normal anymore.

So I asked myself the tough money questions, made a budget with big changes to how I viewed and spent money, and pulled myself out of debt. Dave says, “if you don’t tell your money where to go, you’ll always wonder where it went”.

If I could go back, I would’ve started getting things financially right from the very beginning when I got my first job at fifteen years old. But you don’t know what you don’t know — I didn’t have the money knowledge or skills then.

So if this sounds something like you and you want to make a difference for yourself, let Total Money Makeover change your life.

Dave’s words “If you will live like no one else, later you can live–and give–like no one else” are still words I live by today.

Your Journey, Your Design: Finding Purpose in Every Choice

As I look back on these conventional milestones—from earning my degrees and building a career to embracing marriage and starting a family—it becomes clear that the purpose isn’t found in ticking off a checklist. Instead, it lies in the intentionality behind each decision and the profound lessons learned along the way. Whether it was pursuing an education to discover what I truly wanted, navigating a career path that revealed deeper aspirations, or patiently waiting for the right person to build a life with, every step was a part of my unique story.

There’s no single right way to build a fulfilling life. Just as there’s immense power in forging an unconventional path, there’s also incredible strength and purpose in embracing aspects of the conventional, especially when those choices genuinely align with your heart’s desires. This life is undeniably your journey, and you hold the compass. You get to decide not only what your milestones look like, but also the meaning you infuse into each one.

So, whether your journey has led you down well-trodden paths or into uncharted territory, remember this: every experience, every lesson, and every choice contributes to the beautiful, one-of-a-kind life you are building. It’s all part of your design, and it’s all perfectly on time.

Rooting for you!

Talk soon,

Cindi