Is your life how you thought it would be?

My only plan was to get the hell out of Pennsyltucky.  And I managed that.

  
Sounds like my plan, except for me it was Cincytucky.  

I'd hear '5-to-10 years' and think immediately of a prison term.

hehe, so funny reading this thread because as anyone who knows me will tell you, I love me some plans (and some spreadsheets!)  To me, they're comforting, not restrictive, but I do think there is something freeing in being a little more relaxed about things!

Working towards? I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone, but y'all know at the end of the movie, you die, right?

I'm working toward not doing that any faster than I have to and feeling as happy as possible until then. That's my umpty-year goal.

I wanted to get the heck out of Kansas, and...ta da!  I'm not in Kansas anymore!    Still scratching my head, wondering why it took me 33 years to get the heck out of there, however.

Me, neither.

Always found that too restrictive for me. 

I'd hear '5-to-10 years' and think immediately of a prison term.

Everyone seems to share the mindset that goals are too restrictive, but I think the opposite is true for me. My goals are never concrete goals without room for flexibility. I think having very specific goals is too restrictive [for example, being married by a certain age] but what works for me are things that I would like to do [for example, moving to UK] and finding a way to get there. I combined my goal of UK with my goal of getting a masters and being a social worker. Thankfully I found a job that is revered more across the pond than in my own backyard and I was able to combine my two former goals: education and career with my third goal: travel/live abroad.

To each their own!

Things I thought I would be when I grew up:  a writer (I was writing 'books' when I was 6-7 years old), then an actress/singer (I used to put on one-girl variety shows out on this raised cement slab in our backyard - the roof of the storm cellar), then a psychoanalyst (I read the book Sybil when I was about 9 or 10 years old), then a journalist, then a social worker, before finally getting a degree in -  history.  Lol!

We are very similar!! I also wanted to be writer [I was one of the editors of my highschool newspaper and currently keep a journal and blog], psychoanalyst [also after watching Sybil!!], journalist [had to change that whenn I realize the college I went to didnt offer the program-- ended up changing to psychology.]  Social worker [added that on as my secoond bacherlors and ended up getting a masters in it].

We are very similar!! I also wanted to be writer [I was one of the editors of my highschool newspaper and currently keep a journal and blog], psychoanalyst [also after watching Sybil!!], journalist [had to change that whenn I realize the college I went to didnt offer the program-- ended up changing to psychology.]  Social worker [added that on as my secoond bacherlors and ended up getting a masters in it].

I edited my high school newspaper, and I keep a blog too.  I also love quilts but I've not made one myself - well, the fabric squares for one, when I was a little girl.  My grandma was an avid quilter & so she had me doing squares but that's as far as I got.  I have A LOT of quilts that she made, and some my mom made - so I really don't need any more quilts cos I don't have enough places to put all the ones I have. 

Working towards? I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone, but y'all know at the end of the movie, you die, right?

I'm working toward not doing that any faster than I have to and feeling as happy as possible until then. That's my umpty-year goal.

Right on.  

I don't do plans either, or rather, I try to plan things and then they fail spectacularly.  Whereas if I just let the wind blow me wherever it wants me to go, then things turn out OK.  The only long-term goal I've ever achieved was learning to speak French, and that was more pigheadedness than perseverence.  

I envy the planner-types in that their lives must bring them a sense of accomplishment that I doubt I'll ever know.  But in the end, it's about knowing yourself and knowing what you're capable of.  I know I don't have the determination to set the world on fire, so I figure I may as well enjoy things as much as I can.    

Ok I'll add to the thread, 
I never really had a definite plan tho i always had a general idea of how my life would go.
Get married--long term relationship,marriage just wasn't as important somehow.

Have kids- always wanted kids just never worked out that i was with the right person at the right time and by the time i found the right person it was too late for kids.

Live in Scotland- This one i worked at from the time i was in  my 20s and made that one come true. I will of been here in Scotland for 10 years in July

Saying that I'm pretty happy. Like others a bit more £/$ would be nice, a bigger home,a bit thinner, not have to work full time. But hey life would be pretty boring if we got everything we wanted.

Thats my two pence/cents 

I'm all about the 5 year plan.  Seems 5 years is about the amount of time it takes for me to get bored with whatever I'm doing - but I don't feel comfortable changing without knowing where I'm going next.  I'm not married -so there isn't anyone else to steer the ship if I don't.  At times, all I know is the direction (rather than the destination) so I just head that way til I figure it out.  It's not about charts and graphs, but I have been known to make a spreadsheet or two 

My life is much better than I had expected in my teens.  Apart from the marriage, house and 2 children, I didn't have a vision of what my life should be like, which is probably why I ended up married to a man I didn't really love.  After the divorce it took a good 10 years to figure out that I was going to be OK doing this on my own.  When I realized that I wouldn't necessarily find one partner to go through my life with, I stopped feeling like I was missing out and became much more secure about who I was and what I deserve.

I feel fortunate everyday.  I'm excited for the future and am happy in the present.  There are things that I wouldn't mind changing, but trust that my priorities are in line (MOSTLY   ) - I'm working towards my goals and things will eventually all fall into place.  

Yay I'm so happy all of you have decided to play on this thread! 

Oh boy - did I ever have some big disappointments in the past...like I never wanted to be married and divorced twice  - but I was third time lucky.    I used to want children awfully bad - because my birth family was sort of splintered, in a way - I thought I'd have my own family to make up for that pain.  But I have PCOS & I was never able to conceive a child + my previous relationships were poisonous (for me) and in the end it's just as well it all worked out as it did.  I was devastated over the infertility thing for many, many years though.

We're not rich, but we're a lot better off than my family ever was, growing up.  DH has a good job that he really enjoys (thank goodness!) and that's enabled me to work part-time - at least for now - which makes me happy & lets me get some other stuff done (lots of goofing off!).

Oh yeah!  I was a 5-year serial monogamist...meaning I seemed to change LTRs about every five years - trading up (or in some cases, down).    DH and I have been together now for nearly 7 years, and we'll celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary this summer - so I'm glad I broke that pattern!

Mr. A is a planner.  Every year he makes a list of resolutions and has a five year plan (which he changes all the time).  I humour him, but I think his over planning and over caution has caused problems for us in the past with getting me here, moving out into our own flat, and a few other situations.  There could be worse issues in a relationship though.

That being said, I would have never managed to pull off the visa thing without doing this massive plan with lists and crap.  I applied before I found this site, and I had very little guidance on applying.  It kept me focused.  I was listening to The The's "This is the day", and something finally broke in me.  After crying and being frustrated by my own impotency to change our LDR to a regular conventional marriage, I fired up Wordpad and made about 100 lists.  It stressed me out to no end, but it worked.  Since then, I am a bit more tolerant of Mr. A's lists and planning.

But if you dont set goals for yourself, what are you working towards?

Nothing. And that's the beauty of life! 

Enjoy yourself today and let tomorrow worry about itself. As others have said, we might not be around then anyway.

Oh, I definitely never planned to have three kids!

Nothing. And that's the beauty of life! 

Enjoy yourself today and let tomorrow worry about itself. As others have said, we might not be around then anyway.

Wow is this how it is to live in UK? No worries? No stress? Maybe the American way REALLY IS fast paced and stressful? I'm a city girl all my life so I'm also very used to the fast paced life and actually feel depressed if I have nothing to do or work on.

But I can say that i do enjoy myself and I do let tomorrow worry about itself. I'm simultaneously working on my future while sitting back in my porch, enjoying the breeze, and sipping on fine wine with good company.

Wow is this how it is to live in UK? No worries? No stress? Maybe the American way REALLY IS fast paced and stressful? I'm a city girl all my life so I'm also very used to the fast paced life and actually feel depressed if I have nothing to do or work on.

I'm not sure if it's down to a UK/US difference or if it's just the way I am. I am much happier in the UK, though, so perhaps there is something to your theory.

sitting back in my porch, enjoying the breeze, and sipping on fine wine with good company.

Now that sounds very nice!