You’re not behind.
Careers do not happen according to one tidy timetable, even when LinkedIn makes it look that way.
Someone else gets promoted. A former colleague announces a new role. A person younger than you reaches the level you thought you would have reached by now. Suddenly, your own career starts to feel late.
But careers are shaped by more than ambition. Caring responsibilities, illness, relocation, redundancy, confidence, opportunity and plain luck all change the route.
There is no universal schedule
Starting again at 40 does not erase what you learned before. Returning after a break does not make you less serious. Taking longer to find the right role does not mean you lack potential.
You are allowed to build a career that fits your life, not somebody else’s announcement. Look at the direction you are moving in, the choices available now and the next useful step. That is enough.