This is a very good question and one which I’ve asked myself more over the last few years.
I’m always a “glass half full” person and throughout my life I’ve never expected much so anything that has gone well is a great bonus and other things that haven’t gone well aren’t considered a setback but just a hiccup.
I’ve been lucky in that my parents, who are fortunately both still alive, just, never pressured me into doing things and didn’t expect me to be the next prime minister or CEO of a large company. Looking back my dad worked his socks off to provide the best he could for my sister and me and we always had great holidays, I remember going to Ibiza in 1970 long before package holidays were the norm and every year after till I started going with friends.
I’ve kept the same circle of friends from school and added to that through life and never had any fall outs with any of them.
Work wise I left school in 1981 in the height of mass unemployment and riots etc, UB40 released 1 in 10 to reflect the problem, but I still managed to find various “dead end” jobs before joining my current employer in the late 80s where I’ve worked my way up and I’m now more than happy to stay where I am till retirement in the next 6-10 years depending on my circumstances.
Relationship wise I could have done things better. My first few serious ones ended badly mostly down to going and using my weekends to watch Leeds and spending more time with mates getting drunk which ultimately caused break ups and cost me ££ half of house etc but I bounced back each time after being on the breadline for a while. I’m now happily married with a son.
I look at other couples and think “they seem really happy and look like they’ve got it all, big house, flash cars etc” but they probably have debt coming out of their ears and are no happier than anyone else.
All in all I’m happy with how things have gone, I’m 55 in October and luckily I’m fit and well,I can afford to have a couple of nice holidays abroad each year ( which is where I am as I write this)! and a few long weekends in UK. I have a loving family, and to me that’s all that matters, so in answer to the question I probably could have done quite a bit more but I’m more than happy with what I’ve got