Life is a journey. It starts right after we are born & goes on till our demise. Though theists may argue person’s journey doesn’t stop even after their death. As we are yet to know anything about life after death, we should focus on our current ongoing life. During this journey, we create many milestones, more significant or minor, equally vital. Yet there are some Most Important Milestones in Life.
Our experiences, qualities & values create all these milestones. A milestone can be as trivial as learning to walk or as significant as making an impact by doing something humanitarian.
These milestones offer us memories & a scale to measure our journey. We can measure how far we have come. That’s the Importance of Milestones in Life.
Some Milestones in Life We All Remember
1. Starting The School & Leaving it
When you’re walking & talking, now is the right time to begin learning about subjects like math & science. Specific individuals recollect their absolute first day of preschool or kindergarten, while others could recall something later.
For instance, you may recall your most memorable time reciting without holding back in class or the time you got a gold star for good behavior.
After some hard days in school, you didn’t want to go back. Your parents had to drag you to your school. But eventually, you got attached to the place. You even wanted to go to school on holidays, maybe because you are not overly fond of studies, but you made some friends there.
After many years, the day finally came when you had to say ‘goodbye’ to your beloved school. Many of us couldn’t hold our tears on that day.
2. Making A Friend
Friends are an indispensable part of our lives & most of us find a friend in school. Research has proven that the strongest friendships are formed on schooldays & many people are in touch with their school friends even after 25 years!
It all starts with a simple thing like borrowing a pencil or sharing a book. You get to know each other’s names, about their home location & sometimes you share your tiffin!
One of the Most Important Milestones in Life is making a friend. Strongest bonds are formed in schooldays as that friendship is not based on your status, affluence, or abilities as we are yet to know their meaning. That friendship is solely based on your liking & matching vibes.
3. Experiencing Failure & Rejection
All milestones are not made of sweet memories; some are bitter, yet they provide us with a glimpse of the harsh realities of life. Frequently, we recall most snapshots of agony, dread, or dissatisfaction. As kids, we need to manage those feelings for the absolute first time.
Going through disappointments like failing in math or getting detention instructs us that we’re somewhat flawed or vulnerable.
Furthermore, being rejected — not getting a valentine from your crush or not being invited to a schoolmate’s birthday celebration — instructs us that we don’t necessarily, in all cases, get what we need.
4. Your First Income
How many of you remember your first income? Almost all of you, right? Your first income was nothing compared to the paycheck you are getting now, but no one can forget their first income.
It is because the first penny you earned gave you a sense of freedom. When you realize you don’t have to ask your parents for pocket money so you can buy comic books or candies for friends.
You often get stressed juggling between your studies & that job, but at the end of the week/month, when you hold your hard-earned money, you get an additional boost of energy. You never knew slurpees tasted so good until you bought one with your own money.
5. Falling In Love & Getting Heart-broken
What was the first time Cupid’s arrow struck you? Probably in high school, right? One day you were casually strolling in the hall or going to the next class.
Suddenly, you saw the most perfect girl/guy on earth. You got your heart running & butterflies in your stomach.
You became friends & one day you revealed your innermost desires to him/her. Some lucky people get an affirmative answer; some don’t. In the later part, heartbreak comes swiftly.
Often, even if that person responds affirmatively, the relationship crashes. As he found someone more attractive & started cheating on you, or she found someone senior or more talented with whom she imagined she could have a better future.
Whatever the case, we all have tasted the bitterness of heartbreak. We locked ourselves in our rooms, cried a lot & eventually moved on. The Importance of Milestones in Life such as these makes us realize our inner strength. It tells us no matter what, we can bounce back.
6. Getting A Job
After initial hiccups & setbacks, we all get a degree and leave the school/college. Life removes our label as ‘students’ & tags us as ‘jobless.’ We become determined to remove that tag & start job hunting.
We prepare our CVs and post them. Sometimes we get an interview call. We often mess up in interviews and realize we could have done better. After some failures for which life already prepared us, we secured a job.
Until now, you have seen your parents & neighbors running for office, and now you are in the same category. You initially need help managing your time & arriving at the office late. Slowly but gradually, you figured out how to manage your time.
Till now, your responsibilities have been clearing your room & finishing your assignments. Now you find you are trusted with bigger responsibilities. Your team or organization may depend on you to close a beneficial deal.
7. Experiencing Loss of Someone Beloved
As stated earlier, all of the Most Important Milestones in Life are not made of sweet memories. Memories of losing someone beloved is painful, but it is an inevitable part of life. We are all mortals & “dust thou art, to dust returnest.” Life never prepares us for those, but the day comes eventually.
One fine morning you wake up & take the leash and collar to take your pet dog out & find he is not waking up nor moving its tail like he always does whenever he sees you. Or you suddenly get a call from your father & he tells you your grandmother has been taken to hospital. You left the coffee & the cookie your granny baked for you & rushed to the hospital only to find she was no more.
Life is like that; in a particular stage, life stops giving & starts taking away. Our beloved people will go away at a specific time: our parents, partners, and friends. The most ironic thing is death is an inevitable part of life.
8. Starting A Family
People go and come; that is the essence of life. Similarly, after you parted ways with your boyfriend/ girlfriend of 5 years, you never thought of someone else. You were preparing for a solitary life. Suddenly everything changes.
Your colleague or some friend from the club suddenly expressed their feeling for you. Though you didn’t jump on your feet, you didn’t reject them either. You proposed to have a ‘see how it goes’ approach.
After a couple of movie & dinner dates, you realize the person may not be the one you want, but she/he is the one you need. You get fond of each other. After some years of going steady & some fights, you popped the big question. You asked whether they would marry you & they agreed.
You get married on an auspicious day in front of your friends & family. Your bachelorhood is now gone. You are living together. Your carefree weekends with friends & beers have turned into cleaning days and dinner dates.
One fine day, you find out you are going to welcome a new life to the world. Life always finds its way.
Some More Milestones
Among this life’s journey, it is almost impossible to single out some specific Most Important Milestones in Life, as all milestones are equally vital. Here are some more of them:
- Finding something you are good at.
- Learning to ride a bike.
- Getting your driving license.
- Leaving home.
- Realizing your core values.
- Experiencing other cultures.
- First Investment.
- Buying a house.
- Your first car.
- Retiring.
FAQs
Q: Can traveling to a foreign land be considered a milestone?
A: If you have experienced a different culture, it certainly can.
Q: Are negative experiences milestones?
A: All milestones are not positive; some are bitter memories. But something negative things you did knowingly, like getting arrested or substance abuse, are not milestones.
Q: What to do if I want to create more milestones?
A: Creating memories is the only way to create milestones. Do positive things you like which can bring positivity to the world & the life of fellow earth dwellers.
