i've got a year til i turn thirty, and i've been thinking recently that i should set some proper targets, not because life will abruptly change past that date, but just as motivation, like. i get lots done, no worries on that front, i can do boxsets in a day, but i'm getting no younger and could do with start making progress towards ticking the sort of standard life boxes - mortgage, a proper career, wife, kids, savings, etc, boring as all that stuff might seem to some people.

to be honest, i wouldn't really measure how well or badly someone's doing at life just on how many societal norms they've managed to chalk off. for example, some people might not want to get married, that's fair enough. others might not like kids, that's fine, or maybe you value other things over career progression, each to their own.

that said, how many of what i've deemed the BIG FIVE boxes are you ticking?

1) RELATIONSHIP - am married or in a long-term relationship (5 years +)

2) KIDS - have at least one child

3) BRICKS & MORTAR - own a property outright or have paid off at least half of a mortgage on it

4) CAREER - earn okay money (let's say a reasonable £30k or more) or have your own business (proper one, not just selling posters on Ebay or whatever)

5) WHEELZ - own a new car (1.8l or higher, probably, no bangers or mopeds)

it's a disappointing 0/5 for me at the moment, but i'm pretty content. not gonna try too hard to sort any of those things out, i'm sure they'll just happen naturally, though i must stress that i have driven new vehicles before.

please remember that there are no right or wrong answers, everyone's different, and that you don't have to answer, or really go into detail of your answers if you so choose, a simple number out of five will suffice.

^ what a bloody great (shit) thread.