I'm 42 and in a similar place. I'm in my third year of law school and about to become a patent attorney -- a 4th career. Hopefully this one brings me happines

I'm 42 and in a similar place. I'm in my third year of law school and about to become a patent attorney -- a 4th career. Hopefully this one brings me happiness and fulfillment. /s For me, (accidentally) having a kid has catapulted my life forward a bit in terms of feeling comfortable in my shoes. What I came here to add, is something I'm often thinking about these days: you need to figure out what role money has in your life. How much of it do you want, and why? Yes, I realize this is a gross subject, but I think, at least in the US, we are not sufficiently honest about this. I think it's OK to want more of it, or lots of it. Or less of it. Or an average amount. But you need to own that decision and reach a place where you're genuinely comfortable with what you have, or want. Then you can figure out what you're going to do with your time. Are you going to work towards getting lots of money? Then every act needs to be in service of that goal. Do you just want to be rich at retirement? Do the math -- carefully -- and make sure you will be rich at retirement, and figure out exactly what income you need to achieve that. Are you happy with a modest income and wealth? Huzzah, you can relax. Once you've admitted to yourself what role money has in your life, then you can go about figuring out your hobbies or workout routine or spirituality, or whatever. But I am increasingly of the opinion that savage honesty about how much money we need to be happy has to come first.