[owurkan]

49 here, 2 teenagers. When you grow older, the things you truly like doing don't change that much. It's the things you don't like that you hate doing every day a little bit more. You should plan for that. I see too many friends who have been micromanaging their lives since when we were in our 20's and now feel entrapped and miserable because of work and/or partner and/or relationships... As many have mentioned here, the first thing is to focus on your health, mental and physical. Absolute necessity. The second thing is to develop optionality for later instead of closing doors as many do. Plant seeds for your future life. You don't know what will work or not for you in the future. So, while you're busy living your current life, plant seeds that all have a reasonable chance to grow into a life scenario that you would enjoy later. Don't focus on a single objective, make sure you pursue at least a handful. No need to be obsessive. And then, water the seeds when you can, abandon those who die, replant when necessary. It is mostly a background process, be gently alert to spot potential future opportunities. It has made wonders for me.

[sshine]

Could you give some examples of "seeds" you've planted?

Do you mean to cultivate new hobbies, or keep paths open in your professional life (e.g. become a manager, or have a side project), or grow friendships with common interests that may remain common after ten years (e.g. not drinking buddies)?

[owurkan]

Life is probabilistic, you can't define your future for sure but I believe you can increase the expected enjoyability of the outcome by working on adding potentially enjoyable scenarios to the collection of potential future outcomes. As for examples, I invested in some friendships at moments when there were more pressing rational things to do, thinking that maybe, some day, it would flourish and be worth it. Or I managed to set up a working environment where I sat for 10 years in the same space as a friend I would love to build a business with though we had completely different jobs. I was patiently waiting for a real opportunity for us to work together, all the while I was embracing my regular job. I was also building new skills in things that interest me. I was always acting with determination but not with obsession and anxiety. I was mentally accepting whatever scenarios would eventually materialize, I was only optimizing on increasing the quantity of possible enjoyable scenarios. But, as said before, all this is worth nothing if you don't treat your body with respect and are not very disciplined with your finances.

[softawre]

I sincerely hope I can have the wisdom you have at your age. I'm older than most here but your words really spoke to me, thanks for that.

[drjasonharrison]

Career planning or exploring some hobbies, perhaps with your children, perhaps with your spouse.