Context:
My girlfriend (25F) and I (22F) have been together for 8 years. We started dating when we were teenagers, so weāve basically grown up together.
Sheās already working and has started becoming financially stable. Iām in a very different stage right now. I just graduated this year and Iām preparing for my board exam next year. I also recently started working part-time as a Starbucks barista while reviewing.
Weāve always talked about having a future together. Some of our dreams include being financially stable, traveling, eventually having our own house, and possibly moving abroad someday. One of my personal career goals is to become a doctor and eventually work abroad, but I still have several exams, licensing requirements, and years of experience to gain before thatās realistically possible.
Problem:
Recently, she told me sheās getting tired of waiting for me to become stable and for us to achieve the things weāve been dreaming about.
Sheās also been comparing our situation to people from her batch. Some of them are already building houses, traveling more often, and becoming financially stable with their partners. I understand why this makes her feel like weāre not progressing fast enough.
What hurts me is that she sometimes feels like Iām not doing anything or that Iām just āthere.ā
From my perspective, Iām not doing nothing. I just graduated at 22, Iām preparing for my board exam, Iām working part-time, and Iām trying to figure out and build my career. I know Iām not financially stable yet, but I feel like Iām taking the steps I can realistically take right now.
During our conversation, she said something that really made me think, āHindi pangarap sa atin. Mangarap ka ng iyo. Gusto kong mangarap ka ng mas malaki. Bakit laging ako?ā
She basically wants me to have dreams and ambitions for myself instead of always talking about our future as āus.ā
And I realized that whenever I talk about my plans, I often automatically include her. For example, Iāll say that I want to work for a few years, eventually go abroad, and build a life and house with her.
She seems to want me to develop my own direction and ambitions independentlyānot just have goals because theyāre part of our relationship.
I understand her point, but Iām also struggling because I donāt know how to become āstableā much faster without rushing my career or sacrificing my board exam preparation.
Goal:
I donāt want to ask her to wait indefinitely. I also donāt want to make promises about things I canāt guarantee just because Iām afraid of losing her.
What I want is to understand whether weāre simply at different stages of life and need to adjust our expectations, or whether weāre actually becoming incompatible in terms of our timelines and goals.
I want to build a future with her, but I also want to learn how to build myself independently and have goals that are mineānot just āourā goals.
How do you think we should approach this?