A recent survey* conducted by SK-II showed that millions of women around the world feel pressured to reach certain goals by a certain age to avoid feeling that they are lagging behind or failing to meet the expectations set by society. In particular, one in three women in Asia feels that there is an expectation to follow a predetermined schedule for their lives to feel that they meet social criteria for success, and only 2 out of 10 women in Asia agree with the idea that they are getting older.

When I came from a traditional Chinese background, I also felt like one of these people before. From the pressure of getting married to achieving certain career goals and having children at the same time, sometimes it seems like it’s too much, and how can you do all this if you have other goals and interests in life or if you want to pave your own life path? I’m sure that some of you have also felt this kind of pressure from growing up. All the things you should have done by the age of 30 may not be the things you personally wanted to experience so quickly. The “tried and tested” stable path was never the one I thought I could follow if I wanted to be true to myself.

But in fact, you should not feel the pressure of your age. It’s hard to remain faithful to yourself when society is trying to tell you something else. To do your own goals and your own happiness in life. Listen to your heart, look for what it really wants, and set out your own road map to achieve what your heart desires. Not all paths to success are the same, and not everyone has the same definition of success. Always be proud of what you’ve achieved, because every path is different… Age is just a number! There’s so much beauty in age. Wisdom, deep understanding of yourself and others, the beauty of wrinkles with a smile… We must fully accept every birthday in advance, not be afraid of his idea.

The SK-II survey also showed that women don’t really talk about these issues, but the more we share our thoughts about it, the more we can give others the feeling that they have the freedom to choose their path rather than someone else choosing it for them. So let’s start the conversation right now. How do you deal with this pressure from society and how do you care about being yourself? I’d like to hear about that in the comments below!