From a high of “Extremely” to a low of “Not At All”, how satisfied are you with how your life has turned out so far. Elaborate if you wish.
Extremely.
Objectively I’m doing just average, but frankly it was highly unlikely things would ever turn out as well as they have for me. If you were to tell me, or anyone who knew me at the time, 10 years ago that I would be married, own a home, own a rental property, and have a good job that I actually like I’d first laugh in your face because that’s ludicrous, then I’d be deeply insulted because I’d think you were making fun of me.
More than satisfied. While I’ve had my share of bad times, I’ve always recovered and most of those bad times have lead to events that I would hate to have skipped.
Moderately, I guess.
My kids are great, my wife is fantastic. So I have that going for me.
But I just took a 25% pay cut to change careers, because my old one was stalled. And I want making a shit ton in the first place. So I’mbasically starting over.
I’m nowhere near, career-advancement wise, where a person my age should be. That’s very disappointing to me.
I’m more than pleased.
My only regret is I was too much of a man whore in my younger days. I was lucky that I had some really nice ladies interested in me back in the day. But alas, I wasn’t interested in anything serious.
I had no idea what would happen for the future when I was a kid. It certainly turned out twisted? Not sure yet if I’m here for some reason. And what my legacy will be…my kid I guess for sure but he isnt having any kids any time soon unless he has a reverse vasectomy so…
Wow! Overwhelmingly “More Than”.
Financially, I’m at “Extremely”. If not for my (non-life threatening) health issues, it would be that high!
I’m somewhere between “Just” and “More than,” but I rounded down to “Just.”
The positives are many: I make decent money at a career I enjoy, I like where I live and what I drive, I have no debt and can afford to do just about whatever I want, I have a fulfulling hobby/avocation, my dog is awesome, and there are people in my life who love me. The negatives are few: I struggle with my weight, I’m constantly working on the vocation/avocation balance, and I wish my mom were still alive.
What keeps me from saying “More than” or “Extremely” is, frankly, that I’m single.
Don’t get me wrong: I have a pretty great life. I’m 46 and I’ve been single for a long time, and there is a lot of up-side to living alone and being completely independent. And I’m not unhappy enough to actually do anything about my romantic status – I can’t even be bothered to resurrect my online dating profile. But, deep down I believe that I would be happier if I had someone to share my life with. Finding a partner would be the icing on the cake of my life, if you will.
On the whole, though, I’m pretty satisfied.
More than satisfied. Wife and I are in our 40s. We are good to/for each other, and we are basically healthy. We have enough income to live very comfortably in the present, and enough savings already to provide a very comfortable retirement (including the option to retire early). We have decent jobs that don’t consume so much of our time as to prevent us from enjoying our health and wealth.
So why am I not extremely satisfied?
I’m not as social as I would like to be. I wave to my neighbors when I see them outside, but we rarely talk. I’ve kept in touch with a couple of friends from graduate school, but nobody from undergrad or earlier in my life. The people I work with are all decent, but there are only a couple I would call friends, i.e. we eat lunch together once in a while and get together outside of work once every few months. I don’t have any kids, and don’t want any. I wonder what my life will be like in 25 or 30 years, or how I’ll fare if my wife dies before me.
Extremely. I’m married to my soulmate, we’re debt free and have ample money in the bank, and our health is good for a couple of 70-year-olds. We’re living where we want to live, driving what we want to drive, and can afford to travel wherever we want.
I’m content with my contentment.
I went with More Than.
I have a great wife. My kids are amazing, and my first granddaughter will be born 11/13. I have a great job and make plenty of money. The only problem is that bad decisions when I was younger really fucked up my credit so I don’t see me being able to own a home any time soon.
Not satisfied. Turning 30 soon and hope it isn’t too late to turn things around.
Not at all.
I’m 26; ten years ago, I had visions of myself doing things far more lucrative and enjoyable - and certainly infinitely more financially rewarding - than I have ended up doing in my meandering day job. In spite of the hard work that I put into my undergrad years I was rejected from each grad school that I applied to (check my post history for a rundown of that), which consequently dashed my dreams of a big bold life in academia. Moreover, though I secured my BA (in Communication) debt-free, I have yet to parlay that education into a better job/career than the one I have had since I was 19. Although I have been to several interviews since I graduated in March, none of them have borne out into genuine opportunities. Simply put, I am remarkably unhappy, and I do not know what my ‘out’ will look like in such circumstances.
Furthermore, at my age, I just feel like most of the world is behind me, and that I may be left to live this meandering existence for the rest of my life. I pray I am wrong.
I do have a girlfriend who is wildly in love with me, though, which is one of the few genuinely good things in my life right now. I could not have foreseen our relationship arising if you had asked me about it two years ago.
Just.
I finally left an abusive relationship, and finally have my finances under control. Things are slowly moving in the right direction, so I am pretty optimistic 
Extremely. My marriage is great, my health is great, I have two successful and happy kids, both with great husbands, I’m retired so I don’t have to commute, and enough money to not have to worry about that.
Plus I’ve got the cutest and smartest grandson in the world.
One of the biggest dissatisfactions in my life is in the area of relationships, no surprise. I have attracted many women, but the vast majority of them are incompatible. One had serious mental issues, one was already married, etc. Wish a compatible mate would come along soon…
Extremely. I’m still alive after 67 years.
It’s been a good life. Not exactly as I had planned out, with many bumps along the way, but overall considering where my family started I can’t really complain in where I am today. I’m still holding out hope for that radical life extension stuff, but even if that doesn’t happen I think it was a good run.
I’ve been thinking about starting a thread on this topic, so thanks to the OP.
I didn’t have any specific goals for my life, career-wise. I wasn’t driven to marry and have children, although I did the former twice, but not the latter.
I went through some periods in my 30s when I was DEAD BROKE. I’d pay the bills that really mattered and then have $25 left until next payday. I financed a car for six years and when I got down to the last payment of $125, I just didn’t have it. No savings, no family or anyone to ask. I called the bank, and basically they refinanced the loan just for that last payment. Thankfully, I’m not in those financial straits anymore. That was grim. Today I’m not wealthy, well-off, or even “comfortable,” but I’m okay financially.
The comments below sum up my position these days:
Note that I’m 23 years older than Misnomer. I didn’t think I would be so totally alone at my age (69 next month). I’ve been a widow for 17 years, and I don’t want to marry again, but I’d like to have someone in my life who really cared about me. I’ve got no kids, no siblings, no extended family. My mother is 92 and in assisted living with dementia. I had breast cancer almost two years ago and got off easy with just a lumpectomy, but no one has even seen my scar except medical personnel. I went for 10 days recently without a personal email or phone call from anyone. I could have died and no one would have noticed or missed me. (Yes, I know-- I can call other people, and I do. Not the point in this context.)
So, except for that, I’m pretty satisfied, and truly have no complaints about the facts and furniture of my daily life. I have it pretty easy, all things considered.