Last weekend I was having dinner with my parents, and my dad asked me what I considered to be my greatest accomplishment in the past 30 years. I took a minute to think about it, and went over in my mind concrete examples of “success” and achievement. Graduating college? Landing a cool job? Mastering a skill after weeks/months/years of practice?

I told my dad I’d have to think on it and get back to him. 5 days later, and I think I’ve finally figured it out. It came to me when I was getting ready to fall asleep, and I knew if I didn’t write it down immediately it would be lost in a dream.

My biggest accomplishment over the past 30 years is that I have allowed myself to reach my goals in my own time. I was a late bloomer, but I blossomed at my own speed. I left college junior year and went to pastry school. I established a restaurant career and got to work with incredible chefs, until I decided I wanted to finish my degree years later. That I didn’t have a bachelor’s degree was a huge insecurity of mine, but I knew that was a process that I could not rush for myself. When I went back to school, I was the oldest student in the classroom, but damn if I didn’t show up on time with my homework done. I even graduated with honors.

By society’s standards, I may be “late” on reaching some of life’s milestones. But I’m okay with that. I’m on my way, just walking at my own pace.