Has your life turned out like you expected?

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2

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  • Iamfit4life
    Iamfit4life Posts: 3,095 Member
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    Well, I'm divorced. So obviously not.

    But I'm making it even better than I expected.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I never really made many long term plans or had any expectations of my future when I was young. I've always had a go-with-the-flow, take each day as it comes kind of personality. The only thing I ever knew from a very young age was that I was never going to have children. I'm 40 now and child-free, and am very thankful that I held onto that choice and didn't let pressure from my parents, other family and friends and to change my mind about having babies. It would have been the wrong choice for me.

    I'm thrilled with my life - I have a wonderful husband, three great dogs, a house in the mountains, a low-stress job with great co-workers, lots of great hobbies and good health. I feel so blessed! What more could I want? :-)
  • mmuzzatti
    mmuzzatti Posts: 706 Member
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    Yes I wanted to always be a fat lazy fart and then being on this page trying to get the weight off that years of boozing and eating crappy food did to me!

    So in reality my life has not started yet, the first 50 years are just practice!
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,023 Member
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    yes and no. LOL/ I always wanted alot of children. Well I did fostercare for 7 yrs taking in 15 kids during that time. I have 4 bio children and adopted 3 for a total of 7. i didnt think I would get my houseful of children this way. One of my kids is bipolar, the younger 3 have Rad which is attachment issues. I always knew i would get married, But it amazes me still after being together for 25 yrs that I found someone that is so loving and supportive and encourages me in anything and everything I want to do. I also wanted to be a counselor, well that didnt happen but I am dealing with kids who have problems. LOL....... most of the time i love how my life has turned out, but somedays are hard. but thats life :smile:
  • CapeCodLover
    CapeCodLover Posts: 23 Member
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    Not at all what I expected. If I could turn back time I would have not married my husband and would have moved on. I think my life may have turned out a lot better. I tried to fix something that was broken before it started raised 2 children that were not mine, and the whole 20 years has been a recipe of disaster. I think we both got together for different reasons, but I definitely got the short end of the stick. I feel like I would have done so much more than I have. I just SETTLED! So my recommendation never SETTLE! Go for your dreams!

    You said it! I got married because I felt it was the right time in my life - not because the guy I was with was the right guy! And I paid for that decision dearly with two failed marriages to him (yes, I divorced and remarried him), basically being a single parent and being ruined financially. Not to mention giving up a chance at true happiness at the time. Don't settle - we all deserve more!
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Not at all what I expected. If I could turn back time I would have not married my husband and would have moved on. I think my life may have turned out a lot better. I tried to fix something that was broken before it started raised 2 children that were not mine, and the whole 20 years has been a recipe of disaster. I think we both got together for different reasons, but I definitely got the short end of the stick. I feel like I would have done so much more than I have. I just SETTLED! So my recommendation never SETTLE! Go for your dreams!

    Well, now ... I had a 20 year hiccup. But I came out stronger, wiser, and happier. I also got 2 of the best kids in the world from the hiccup (although they've had their opportunities to make boofoos). I eventually decided, "Hey, enough of this crap. Time to move on." Soooo glad I did.
  • k2quiere
    k2quiere Posts: 4,151 Member
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    Not really, but I've come to recognize that all the crap I though was important when I was younger just doesn't matter for my happiness. I'm good, I'm happy, my girls are healthy and I successfully reared them by myself.
  • pinkgigi
    pinkgigi Posts: 693 Member
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    No certainly not, I've had to reinvent myself twice, once from divorce and once at the age of 46 because I was widowed. I didn't know my life would be so hard, but it is always worth it.

    GG
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
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    In what ways has it and in what ways has it not? Would you change anything or is it better than expected?

    For me, it has turned out VERY not like I expected. But, thats not a bad thing. I expected to be done with school by 22, married after and then having children when I would become a stay at home mom... Instead I got married, had three children in 3 years and am doing school while parenting. Still good! But DEFINITELY not what I expected.


    My Life turned out differently than I expected AFTER I had Expectations. NOW, My Life is really GOOD! I am Learning to LIVE, just LIVE! This thought described Me: "If a human is modest and satisfied, old age will not be heavy on him. If he is not, even youth will be a burden. " Plato

    Youth became a burden to Me when I tried to Plan My Life and stopped following My Light (I OUTRAN My "Headlights" and ran into an abyss. Thing about the abyss, you can dig and THINK you are digging your way out, you take a rest from the digging and realize that ain't no dirt in the hole. Eventually, I quit digging and fighting and planning and worrying and trying to control, I became so Light that I just floated out. NOW I am Happy, at Peace and have Self Control. My Life is what it IS!
  • calibri
    calibri Posts: 439 Member
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    Nope, thought I'd have finished med school and started a residency now. Eventually met peers at uni which dissuaded me from pursuing being a doctor, as it wasn't my thing after all. Instead, I'm working at a stable job, writing exams for employment and software testing. I wish my job were more meaningful, but it makes enough money for me to fund my adventures in the off hours, and that's all I need at this point.
  • Carl01
    Carl01 Posts: 9,370 Member
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    No,not in any little bit what I thought when graduating high school almost 30 years ago.
    One accepts,adapts and moves on.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    Nope. I never dreamed I'd be this blessed. I'm the luckiest person in the world.

    Ditto!
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    I never expected my life to be that hard. So no. but I would not change anything
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
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    Yes and no! Yes- I'm about to graduate with my bachelors going for my masters! And no- I thought I would be married after I graduate. But nope it's just me working on my life. But I'm 21 going on 22 and I have so much to look forward to!
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    with the exception that I have 3 children instead of my planned 4 and that I became a teacher rather than an architect, pretty much!

    i married my high school sweet heart when we were 23 and we are still madly in love. Our children are growing into wonderful young men. We have many good friends. I always expected those things.
  • avalonms
    avalonms Posts: 2,468 Member
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    Nope. I never dreamed I'd be this blessed. I'm the luckiest person in the world.
    Same here.
  • jchester71
    jchester71 Posts: 124 Member
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    Definitely not. I was always a "most likely to succeed type" with enormous ambition. I had gone from foot in the door to executive to successful business owner and consultant/writer before I was 30 and had everything that the world says you should want. Then I came to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and saw how worthless all of the things I valued were. Now I am serving in special needs ministry, completing my seminary degree soon will move into full time pastoral/preaching ministry (and am married to a wonderful ex-lawyer who also gave up worldly success to serve the Lord) and an 1000 X happier than when I had 10X (at least) the income and all of the things the world tells you will make you happy.
  • Kristina0202
    Kristina0202 Posts: 188 Member
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    I'm only 20 so my life hasn't really had a chance to turn into anything yet, but I expected to be further along with my life by now. Instead I'm in college, unemployed, and have never fallen in love or anything like that.

    It's been a pretty boring life so far.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    Not in the least. When I married a minister of music 19 years ago, I thought we'd live a long, happy life together with a houseful of kids (well, not really...more like 2 or 3 kids!). Little did I know we would battle infertility and end up adopting two children through foster care, one of whom has developmental delays and Tourette's Syndrome. Little did I know that a few years later, my husband would begin sexually abusing our daughter and would become verbally and emotionally abusive with me and both kids. Little did I know he would take the coward's way out and commit suicide when his trial date came up. Little did I know that he would leave me with several debts that I would have to work hard to pay off. So no, life has not turned out like I expected.

    BUT...a very big but!...in spite of it all, my children are healthy, we've all been through counseling, we've moved to be near my family, and we are doing well. I'm taking better care of myself and am happy for the first time in a number of years. So while we've had our share of tragedy (and then some!), God has been faithful and has given me the strength to get through it all. While I wouldn't have chosen to go through the things that we did, I've become so much stronger for it.
  • anna_b1
    anna_b1 Posts: 588 Member
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    Kinda sorta.

    I think I knew I was going to teach, but I wanted to have 3 kids (until my impossible second son scared the beejesus out of me which led me to stop at 2). I also knew that in spite of a long string of really-bad-for-me relationships, I would eventually find someone who was right for me and realized how awesome I was.

    But I think I always fancied myself more of an extrovert who needed to be busy and be out and about. Turns out, I'm so not like that. I enjoy most being at home and am quite the homebody. I'm also not motivated by career advancement and thought I would be.

    In the end, I'm happier with how life has turned out and not disappointed in the slightest.

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