Building the Empire Too Early

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What is a “normal” life experience you feel like you missed out on?

I don’t know if this qualifies as a “normal” experience because college isn’t a universal path, but I’ve always felt I missed out on the classic “college experience”—the on-campus living, the roommate dynamics, and the shared struggle of being young and untethered.

The Self-Inflicted Empire

The truth is, this was entirely self-inflicted. X1 and I met almost two months before we both transferred to our four-year university. While I had a dorm assigned to me, I never spent a single night there. From the moment we decided to date exclusively, we were inseparable. I was trying to “build an empire” far too early. I hadn’t even been on many dates at that point, yet I put every single egg into one basket. I got wrapped up in the intensity of the moment and just ran with it, making her the center of my universe before I even knew who I was.

Even if our marriage had survived, I think I would still feel like I missed that chapter. I didn’t experience the randomness of being a single co-ed because I thought being in a relationship was stability. I’m learning now that the greatest stability isn’t a shared lease or a title—it’s being able to stand on my own two feet without being defined by someone else.

Reclaiming the Audacity

In a way, my “extra innings” have become my “college years.” After my divorce and subsequent breakups, I finally leaned into that missed randomness. I’ve dated more and experienced more in the last five years than in the previous forty-five. There is a certain audacity to how I live now; if I want to do something, I just go for it.

I’ve learned that the women I once felt “unworthy” of breathing the same oxygen as are just people—they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like I do. The worst they can say is no. I might have missed the commencement parties twenty years ago, but I’m finally showing up for the life I actually want today.

Today’s post is inspired by the WordPress Daily Prompt. While I’ve taken the topic in my own direction for the Road to 1,000 Days, you can find more responses to today’s prompt HERE.

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AI art created with Google Gemini

The article “Building the Empire Too Early” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob

2 responses to “Building the Empire Too Early”

Aarav

February 12, 2026

This hits hard on pacing and how timing shapes every big goal.

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1. rebuilding rob
  
  February 12, 2026
  
  Thank you!
  
  Looking back, I wish that I had dated more when I was younger maybe have the whole experience of “getting my heart broken“ so that I could’ve learned how to handle those experiences at a younger age.
  
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