No one knows exactly how their life will turn out. Many have a “plan,” a timeline that they hope their life will follow, but more often than not, due to circumstances outside of their control, life turns out differently. This should come as no surprise – rarely do even the smallest of plans turn out quite as expected. It only makes sense that the entirety of your life won’t fit perfectly into a predetermined timeline, yet this fact doesn’t make it any easier to accept those parts of life that feel like failures or setbacks.
People often have ideas of what age they want to be married by, how many kids they want, where they will be in their career in ‘x’ number of years, etc. A recent survey released by Life Storage found that while 72% of people expected to be married between 19 and 30, in reality, only 44% of people actually did. This shows that it’s not too uncommon to not meet the expectations you have set for yourself.
Life Storage
The same study found that on average most people got married between 19 and 25. However, this average only applies to 30% of the population, while 37% haven’t gotten married and the remaining marrying at a different stage in their life.
Purchasing a home is another big milestone for people of any age, but it seems millennials may be starting to push the idea of buying a home back. Possibly due to student loan debt and other financial burdens. According to the study, most people purchase their first home at age 26 or older.
Life Storage
And when it comes to retirement, about one in four people believe that they will retire between the ages of 61 and 65, while one in five people believe they will retire between the ages of 66 and 70. However, 30% of people believe that they will retire by age 60.
It’s good to have goals and aspirations, but it shouldn’t be rigid. Let life take the necessary twists and turns and see where you end up. How do you think your life compares to those who took the survey?