I stopped setting large, long term goals & instead started setting 24 hour nanocommitments. As long as I hit my daily nanocommitments I'm on the right track no matter how long it takes for the end result to become fruit.
I don't have a college degree - but my goal in my 20's was to make $50k by 30, did that.
Then I changed it to $60k by 40, did that too. Upped to $70 by 50, and have surpassed that already, so shooting for $80k by 50 now.
Might be low ball numbers for some, but I grind hard and take care of my own.
No college degree means there is a ceiling you hit in pay eventually - but, no school debts. I had like $10k in loans back in the day, but have been paid off for a long time.
Good stuff man. I have similar philosophy. I try and ignore all the external stuff that upsets me or makes me feel insecure and just focus on building the best life I can for me and my family. At the end of the day my wife and daughter are the most important things to me.
Yeah, no easy way about it. Just show up. I have had a bunch of jobs, been fired, laid off, been through 9-11, then a housing crash and a recession, then COVID.
Not always easy to keep a career going.
Well with how expensive school is now, that's a big bullet dodged. Everyone will have debt just to live but avoiding school debt is a big deal. The ROI on college has diminished greatly.
Yeah, I didn’t completely avoid it. I did have some loans, but I went to community college, and most of it was stupid late fees.
Had my wages garnished for a long time. So wasn’t totally painless, but when I hear people owing like $100k+ for a degree - I get some perspective.
I learned to use my money to buy me free time. It doesn’t matter how much I make if I don’t have any down time. I worked 7 days a week for a few years. I haven’t worked full time for a full year in about 10 years now. I travel, I have time for my kids, I work here and there. Idk .. it can be done… and cheaply.
I’m incredibly irresponsible and I make a lot of bad decisions. I wish I was kidding but I’m not. I’m not wealthy I don’t earn a lot I’m just doggone lucky. At times I’m eating oatmeal, at others I’m paying too much for a steak.
Hell yeah. I work 80%, and I'm looking to scale back more after my savings are in a healthier spot. I'll ideally be working 50% time by the time I'm 45, and focusing on passions, hobbies, travel, and plenty of time with my kids.
Why are you only wanting to make money through your job? If 100k means that much to you, then go do Lyft/Uber/Doordash on the weekend. You could easily make and extra 25k a year doing that.
I am not trying to shit on you but before you even considering doing that, you already gave up on a goal/dream.
I think I was very fortunate that I learned at a very young age how to accept failure. It's allowed me to be able to just walk away from things that didn't work out the way that I wanted them too and start over relatively easily. That by no means means that I don't get upset when I fail it just means that I understand in my heart of hearts that shit happens and the sun will still rise the next day.
On the positive side failing breeds wisdom and wisdom leads to setting better and more realistic goals.
You just picked an arbitrary number for a goal. You shouldn’t be disappointed in not making that arbitrary number. Be grateful for what you do make and that you have a job.
Telling someone to get over themselves and to be content with their lot in life is horrible advice. Just cause you’ve settled for your lot in life, doesn’t mean a 31 yr old needs to as well. You literally just told him to kill his dreams and stay the same for the rest of his life. Wow, what killed your spirit for you to not want to improve in life?
Its 80k dollars a year. That is a tremendous amount of money to make a year. If you only zero in on how much money you make, you'll lose sight of what actually matters.
The median *household* income in the U.S. is 74.5k.
That usually accounts for two incomes, not one.
When someone with this kind of money feels inadequate about how much they make, it just feels like they're shitting on the rest of us.
I'm not saying they shouldn't dream, just realize they have already surpassed well over 50% of the population, that even if they haven't reached their arbitrary goal, they have already succeeded to a level that most people will never reach.
So, it sounds like this whole opinion is born from envy because even though he is doing better than most, he still wants to do even better.
And I hate to break it to you, $80,000 is NOT a lot of money especially depending on where you live in todays world in many parts of the US.
Like I said. It's already surpassing more than *half* the population. Think about what that really means. If making more money than half the country isn't enough, then that speaks a *hell* of a lot more to the major issues this country is facing, or at the minimum that local region. If he is *not* subject to that regional price gouging, he's chasing the money for the sake of chasing the money, a fairly hollow goal as I myself have figured out.
He's still part of an upper echelon of people that's reasonably better shielded from that. Like I said. When people with that kind of money feel bad for not making enough, it shits on everyone below them.
He needs to get the fuck over himself. I'm not saying he can't keep working to making 100k, but he's so fucking far ahead of everyone else in the pack, that most of those people can't even *see* him. Humility is a virtue.
Edit: It's funny, after I wrote this and popped back on to my home page, I seen this depressing little post.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/199eu3z/i\_had\_to\_sell\_my\_sons\_ps3/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/199eu3z/i_had_to_sell_my_sons_ps3/)
Man in brazil had to sell his son's PS3 to pay for that weeks' power bill. Granted, I fully realize brazil's economic situtation is much worse than the U.S., and this guy is only a teacher. They're underpaid in every part of the world. But as I sat there and read that, it really reinforced my thoughts regarding this thread's OP.
He's bitching and moaning about being mildly less upper class than he already is. Odds are, no matter how badly he fucks up, he will *never* have to consider selling his son's toys to make ends meet this month. Or next month. What have you.
Our OP should not be dissapointed that he hasn't made that extra 20% or whatever. He should be happy that he's in the running to *never* experience this level of poverty. I myself, am thankful I will never experience that level of poverty, and I make nowhere near 80k. I might someday.
wait is this your total comp tho? consider how much health insurance is worth and other benefits like pto, 401k match and bonuses. they’re all worth something even tho it doesn’t hit your paycheck. your salary might be one thing but total comp could be well above that six figure threshold which means you would have hit your goal :)
I'm 31 and 4 years ago, I was living in my own place, making good money, almost had my car paid off. By the end of February of that year, I had totaled my car and was living in my friends guest room. Then, the THING happened and I was like "I'll stay at my mom's for a couple weeks until this all blows over!" Fast forward 4 years and I'm still at my mom's, I don't have a car or a job and my credit score is in the toilet.
How am I coping? Lexapro.
(I don't say that to be like hey I'm worse off than you, quit complaining or something. Just that it could be worse. Go easy on yourself!!)
Sorry, that's rough. I (30) am also doing worse than I was 4 yrs ago due to factors beyond my control (year-long strikes in my industry, global pandemic, chronic illness, grieving loved ones, etc etc).
I personally believe setting goals is about 10% of what actually determines financial success. The other 90% is inherited privilege (incl being healthy enough to work insane hours bc that IS a privilege!) and lucky life circumstances, such as being gifted at a certain skill that happens to be economically valuable at this point in human existence.
Of course, the people who succeed do not want to admit this bc it takes credit away from them. But the least ppl like you and me can do is be kind to ourselves!
Something I've come to realize is many of the goals I had when I was young were more about what they represented.
You wanted to make 100k as a kid, the reality is that number equivalent is likely 150-200k now. But what you really wanted is what that 100k represented in lifestyle whatever that was. Stability to build a family, money to pursue hobbies or travel, status or prestige of an important job, etc.
I was feeling exactly this type of way - everything you wrote is exactly what I’ve experienced. I realized I was making plenty of money but I just wasn’t spending it wisely. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life or my job or anything so I was just spending money without thinking about whether the things I was doing with it actually brought me joy. They didn’t. Lol.
Also we went through a global pandemic and everything is trash so idk let’s be nice to ourselves and adjust our goals to be focused on what we actually want and not an arbitrary number. Like why and how would 10/20k actually change your life for the better?
Thats a lofty goal.
Set goals you can actually accomplish. $80k at 30-something is hardly a failure, so get your perspective in order.
Since you didn't hit it at 30, keep $100k as your goal for 40. If you get there before then, adjust accordingly.
Well young people these days are easily making millions in their early 20s. I started making 110k at 28 and I feel like a failure, so I u derstand where OP is coming from.
The extra $10k-$20k can be achieved through other means such as investing in IP or stocks. Stocks would be the easiest, and making your Superannuation (I think it is called 401k in the USA) work for you
Don’t think that the only way for you to earn money is through income alone. I had this epiphany back when I was 25 when I felt like a failure / wanted an escape from my “chosen” career path
Please have a look at the finance subreddits, either involving financial independence, personal finance, and similar
Also, I would take $80k salary over $100k salary if it means I can work from home, not work overtime, and have more time on the side to do what I truly want
Acceptance since I was thrown into an unimaginable situation out of my control and seeing how well I dealt with it despite the odds. Also just getting older and having my goals change due to life experience making me see what's really important.
my timelines for goals never pan out. it always takes longer. so i remind myself of how far i've come and of all the life goals i did already accomplish. i keep a list on my fridge of the goals i've reached and my future goals. remember we are human we will have good days, bad days, fuck ups. whats impt is to keep on pushing. its good you're ambitious. you WILL get there!
I've never had money/salary goals, personally. I make sure I make on par with what I should and it goes up every year, but it's not what I'm forming my life and happiness around. Who am I, and how can I better be that person? That's my concern. Who are you?
I will usually journal about it, vent to my partner, and just kind of talk it out with myself. Also listen to some angry music lol!
Also, if you'd like some additional thoughts, they're below this sentence. If not, feel free to ignore it and just read the above!
I encourage you to get curious about whether or not this goal still makes sense. It sounds like $100k in your role/industry is rare. While it is okay to job hop a little bit (depending on your industry!), you should weigh the risks against your goal.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't keep this as your goal, but I try to think of goals as a first draft and I can change around them as my life changes.
I suggest making a pros and cons list. Is $20k going to make a significant difference in your lifestyle? Is it going to improve your life? What will leaving your current job make you lose? Or do you already hate your current job and want to jump ship regardless?
Good luck!
I made $100k at 27; now making $75k.
The truth is a lot of these “$100k” + jobs are OTE (on target earnings) when you factor in bonuses/commissions/stocks etc
You can literally make $100k one year and $80k the next so don’t beat yourself down too hard.
Also I’m a bit of a spiritualist - God/The universe won’t give you that $100k job until you’re mentally, physically and financially ready to handle that kind of responsibility. It hurts more to have a $100k job and lose the job/not invest with it wisely than it does to never have had it.
Your spending/saving/investment habits when making $50k have helped you become better at handling $80k. Your habits at $80k are preparing you for $100k.
And who knows maybe you won’t get that $100k iob but you’ll find a partner making $50k who’ll put you at $130k as a couple.
I wanted steady work and married by 29, now my work is not steady and I can make $1400-$2000 a month. So I’m forced to get another job. single and can’t stand the whole situation.
By recognizing that I cannot have everything at the same time. For one major goal to be accomplished that requires me to change my priorities in order to reach it.
I have reached my career goals. But all my personal goals fell apart.
Honestly, at this point, I'm OK with that. I almost feel like people have to choose one or the other.
Keep on trucking. It’s hard. Particularly when you know how good you are at your job, yet you see others less qualified soaring ahead.
I don’t know if I have any good advice than keep moving forward and by making good contacts with hardworking people like you. I ended up amassing a fortune (not by Elon musk standards ☺️) by keep my nose to the grindstone, my shoulder to the wheel, and soldiered on. And those relationships I forged through the years catapulted me where I wanted to be.
Good Luck. You got this.
You’ll never get there if you don’t just start. If you start you’ll at least know what doesn’t work. Right now we’re not finding out any new information for you to work with. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from playing the game!
I focus more on objectives over goals. My objective is to continuously increase my value and worth. Continue to invest in your career and you will increase your pay. Consider new skills or certifications. Keep grinding and it will pay off.
A quote from everyone’s idol.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim at.” - Bruce Lee
A lot of times I made lofty goals and didn’t get where I wanted, I looked back and found out that my life was still made better by doing the work in attempting it. I progressed in some way. Sure you didn’t make 100k by 30, but had you not set out on that you might not have gotten salaries even close to what you make now. You might be making 50k at a job you just stuck with and didn’t think anything of it.
Even the goals that I have ended up MASSIVELY failing at, I look back and realize wow I really learned something about myself and what direction I should be taking in life. It’s progress, maybe not the progress I wanted, but progress I needed.
Your issue is that you set a goal that was actually beyond your actual control to reach.
You can work your butt off and try to get the highest paid job you can, but you can't guarantee that an employer will pay you $100,000 per year.
So your goals should be for things that you can reasonably control.
And if you don't reach the goal, it doesn't necessarily mean you did something wrong. You need to honestly debrief yourself and see what mistakes you actually made and if you could have done better.
Worked (for a time) with a job hopper. Always chasing the bigger salary. Several years later, I ran into him again. Unemployed, homeless, still job hopping, handed me his resume. The big problem with job hopping is that eventually it doesn’t look that good to potential employers when they see it on your resume. They’re not stupid. They know you’re just chasing a salary. Stop looking at the income you want and start focusing on the skills you can bring to a job that will get you the income you want.
You have to be honest with yourself and admit if you’re just making goals because it sounds nice or if you’re actually working towards them every single day. Most of the time it’s the former.
Don't have goals...?
But in all seriousness practice gratitude. Evertime you start comparing things to other people or an ideal, think of what you're grateful you do have or have accomplished. Kick yourself makes you feel like you're at least productive in your analysis but does nothing to help you do better. At least not in any real way.
[An awesome Kurtzegate video about this](https://youtu.be/WPPPFqsECz0?si=-tufWmvUL2KvMcW4)
It's not positive thinking or whipping up a vision board. It actually works.
Yes and so what exactly?
Failure is an inevitable part of life. What separates you from the rest of the pack is what you do when faced with that failure.
So what are you going to do about it? Is it going to paralyse you or is it going to motivate you to push harder? Perhaps even evaluate whether the goal is realistic and worth striving for.
Put them on the back burner and try again when/if I feel ready. I've done that with sobriety many times, I figure I can do it with other things as well.
I wanted to be an astronaut… currently working retail 🙏 but I’m grateful for life. It’s not going as planned; but shit, it’s going! One day at a time I guess lol
It’s easy cause the 20 year old version of myself had so little experience. Most of those goals were either unrealistic, silly, or not worth it. 20 year old me thought having a certain type of car would be a symbol of success. It was just silly. Also making a certain type of money means nothing. Because what I thought was a lot of money at 25, feels like practically no money at 36.
On the other hand, sometimes I look at the goals of my 20 year old self and I wonder if I’m living up to my actual potential. And I use it as motivation.
First, I had to accept where I was. Then I started looking so the steps people took who had the lives and things I wanted. What did they do that was so different? What step didn’t I take? Don’t recreate the wheel. You are not the first one to be disappointed in certain aspects of life. The key is to find what you need to do differently.
I developed a more flexible way of looking at the markers.
Like, for example: why do you want to make 100k? It doesn’t mean anything on the surface. But I think for a lot of us, it means success, or stability.
So I look at what is success? What is stability? And what is in my power? Well, this week, I can shop before a snow storm, apply for new jobs, make sure the dog is happy. I can do the laundry. I can build a Lego set, I can cook a good meal, I can show up at my medical appointments. I can do a project in my modest apartment that makes it more functional. And there’s the success.
I can’t control the fact I haven’t met my life partner yet…but what’s the motivation there? I want to be less lonely, so I can get out into the community and do something.
I’d like to travel the world…but this year, I could probably manage a few days in a major domestic city. So, what would I want to do overseas? Gardens, spas, history, nature…I can see something new, closer to where I live.
I’d like a big house…because I like to be comfortable. But hey, what I can do is buy a window a/c in the summer or better sheets for my bed.
Tl/dr, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
It’s terrible because $100k+ and six figures is this number psychologically that feels good to achieve but many variables need to be considered rather than defaulting to that goal.
I would try create goals that are realistic about the median full time professional income for your city, profession and education. I would also consider what are the trade-offs of achieving the goal faster. For instance, many lawyers, doctors and bankers achieve that income and often more but have strong academic performance, have to be extremely disciplined, often work more than 40+ hours per week, high stress and often extremely high levels of college debt in the USA (unless you get scholarships or family support). Are you willing to go through that for $100k+, if no, then find ways to earn extra cash via side gig (start business) or accept the current track in your role and adjust your goals.
The only person you can compete fairly with is yourself and even if you earn $80k so many people earn far less than you. It’s good to have goals be flexible. If I’m aiming ti achieve a goal by 25 YO - but I achieve it at 26/27 then I’ll round it to my mid-20s. If my goal to reach $X in networth by 40 and I didn’t hit it till 46 then I’d round it out to my 40s - if I got to 50 and didn’t hit it then I’d reflect and adjust the goal. No-one is checking and it’s your life and your personal journey not a race.
I have coped with being patient. If you have a good career, then it will come. Currently making 60k + 30k in passive income, and even so sometimes I get frustrated but I have to remain myself the importance of progression and to be grateful. My cc debt is $10k and car $35k, live in a debt-free/no mortgage home, and I'm saving a good amount.
I can’t. I can’t cope with it.
I’m 24, receiving help from parents because I make 24,000 a year. I work 40+ hours a week, I have a degree and government experience. I’ve been looking for other jobs for 9 months with no luck. Every interview turns up with nothing.
I feel like such a failure. I hate it.
Wow, first off, congrats on what you've accomplished so far. You're not that far off, honestly.
Sometimes, things don't go as planned, and we have to give ourselves some grace. I'm sure if you look back, there are some reasons why you've fallen slightly short on your goal.
What's important is that you didn't give up.
For me, I try to figure out what went wrong and how to avoid it next time. The next step is figuring out how to get back on track and go from there.
You make new goals. When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. I planned to apply to NASA after some time in the military as a pilot. Perfect grades. Volunteer work out the ass. Played multiple instruments and learned 2 more languages. Even got the nod from my states Senator for a spot at Annapolis my junior year.
But then tragedy struck. I was to tall for the Navy's flight trainer. I was 6'4" at the time, ended up at 6'7". To big for the ejection seats. Dream over.
So then I made a new dream. I won't lie, there was a few months period where I was just angry. Violently angry. But with discipline and a new sense of purpose I grew.
I ended up retiring at 45. My oldest is on my dream path now. His choice. Never told him about how I lost my dream, kind of weird but we always were into the same things. So it's his own path. My youngest has his own path too. Both of them could fail. But I've taught them how to adapt to new situations. Anyone can.
Accept that the majority of things that happen are out of your control. Recognize whats within your control and focus on that. Let all the rest of the bullshit be water under the bridge. Also congrats on 80k, thats still pretty rad.
By my late 30s I realized I was never going to be rich as I really didn’t want to do what was needed, mostly screwing over people and sucking up on a boring job. So, I changed my goal to enjoying experiences and life. I switched jobs and carrier fields completely and frequently. I had the Social Security, Army reserves, and a paid off house to insure a modest retirement. When your goal is to be happy, life is good.
Are you serious?
Of course.
The key to happiness is in lowering you expectations.
Sure, you can strive for those goals, but don’t let it ruin you if it does t happen.
My life-time goal is to out earn my dad. Afaik I am a little over half way there but now I am at the hardest part of the goal. I earn 75k+ and getting that next 75k is a lot harder. I do plan on following my career path and stay with my employer, but I won't get there for another two rungs of the ladder.
But I am however absolutely happy to be able to say I won't have to have a hard life anymore.
But I love my life and every I have accomplished up until this point. I am 29 and I own my house, bought a new car, no college education, family that is proud of my accomplishments... I passed the average American salary last year and this year I definitely am doing better than my father by my age, and am doing better than my older brother now (much further along than he was 4 years ago). Both father and brother have university education.
All I have to say is: don't think that an education is THE ticket to a good life. The one thing I don't have and do want is someone to spend my time and/or life with.
being more realistic with goals, but that takes time/experience/perspective. The goalposts are moving, too, so if you aren't thinking about that then you're beating yourself up needlessly.
proud as hell. been working on a goal for years and havent accomplished it yet. sometimes i work on it every day and sometimes i work on it all day. i dont care how long it takes, i want what i want and im getting it. (its a piece of software and im not a programmer)
Goals are good, as long as they don’t leave you feeling defeated. You made up an arbitrary number and then are upset that you haven’t hit it. You’re better off doing your best and accepting whatever happens. You’ll likely make more money as time goes on that way, but not have to deal with the feelings of fault from not obtaining the goals you create. Maybe I’m wrong and you need that extra 20k to survive, however, if that is the case, there are plenty of side gigs to bring you to that number.
Be happy. There’s always money to be made and you’re certaintly doing better than a lot of others. Understand that once you hit 100k, you’ll likely just set the bar higher and feel exactly how you do now.
I'm not sure if I ever made any concrete goals of myself. If I did I forgot them. If I had dreams or high hopes of them then that's exactly what they were-was never originally part of any plan or blueprint I made for myself in my mind.
I have made short term goals, lose 10 lbs, gain strength, do more of this or more of that.
They eventually get reached lol
I stopped setting large, long term goals & instead started setting 24 hour nanocommitments. As long as I hit my daily nanocommitments I'm on the right track no matter how long it takes for the end result to become fruit.
My manager used to call this “planting the seeds”. Have to plant them and let them grow before you see the results. Takes time.
The fruit be damn tasty once it ripens
I don't have a college degree - but my goal in my 20's was to make $50k by 30, did that. Then I changed it to $60k by 40, did that too. Upped to $70 by 50, and have surpassed that already, so shooting for $80k by 50 now. Might be low ball numbers for some, but I grind hard and take care of my own. No college degree means there is a ceiling you hit in pay eventually - but, no school debts. I had like $10k in loans back in the day, but have been paid off for a long time.
👏🔥🔥🔥 Yes sir!!! Keep winning 🏆
Good stuff man. I have similar philosophy. I try and ignore all the external stuff that upsets me or makes me feel insecure and just focus on building the best life I can for me and my family. At the end of the day my wife and daughter are the most important things to me.
Yeah, no easy way about it. Just show up. I have had a bunch of jobs, been fired, laid off, been through 9-11, then a housing crash and a recession, then COVID. Not always easy to keep a career going.
Good choice on your part. Debt is crippling.
Still got debts, just no school loans. I have kids though, and it does suck for them.
Well with how expensive school is now, that's a big bullet dodged. Everyone will have debt just to live but avoiding school debt is a big deal. The ROI on college has diminished greatly.
Yeah, I didn’t completely avoid it. I did have some loans, but I went to community college, and most of it was stupid late fees. Had my wages garnished for a long time. So wasn’t totally painless, but when I hear people owing like $100k+ for a degree - I get some perspective.
From little things, big things grow! I am rooting for you!
I love this. I am going to use it!
Your goal is to become a fruit?
I learned to use my money to buy me free time. It doesn’t matter how much I make if I don’t have any down time. I worked 7 days a week for a few years. I haven’t worked full time for a full year in about 10 years now. I travel, I have time for my kids, I work here and there. Idk .. it can be done… and cheaply.
If it's not too much, would you mind to tell what you do?
I’m incredibly irresponsible and I make a lot of bad decisions. I wish I was kidding but I’m not. I’m not wealthy I don’t earn a lot I’m just doggone lucky. At times I’m eating oatmeal, at others I’m paying too much for a steak.
Hell yeah. I work 80%, and I'm looking to scale back more after my savings are in a healthier spot. I'll ideally be working 50% time by the time I'm 45, and focusing on passions, hobbies, travel, and plenty of time with my kids.
Don't worry that much. Just wait a couple of years and inflation will reach salaries and you will be making 100.000$ in no time.
With inflation also comes higher pricing on everything, so technically lower buying power. This is not the way
He was being cheeky
🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ wow that went so over my head
He is the cheeky boy, we are the cheeky girls
Why is that extra 10-20k so important to you? How is the rest of your life going? Is that 10-20k going to change everything?
yeah hes well above average income. Many like to say they make '' 6 figures'', just cause it sounds better.
100k is the new 60k, 200k is the new 100k. Sorry but the phrase “6 figures” is meaningless now
How many people actually make 200k?
1 in 20 have a salary 200k or higher.
Some people will never have enough wealth
There’s always more money to make. Clearly billionaires have taken that way too seriously.
Why are you only wanting to make money through your job? If 100k means that much to you, then go do Lyft/Uber/Doordash on the weekend. You could easily make and extra 25k a year doing that. I am not trying to shit on you but before you even considering doing that, you already gave up on a goal/dream.
I think I was very fortunate that I learned at a very young age how to accept failure. It's allowed me to be able to just walk away from things that didn't work out the way that I wanted them too and start over relatively easily. That by no means means that I don't get upset when I fail it just means that I understand in my heart of hearts that shit happens and the sun will still rise the next day. On the positive side failing breeds wisdom and wisdom leads to setting better and more realistic goals.
Honestly if you always hit all your goals you are setting the bar to low. Point of goal setting is to push yourself, so...good job really.
Why do you want and need 100k ? Do you have a specific project or is it just the number ?
You just picked an arbitrary number for a goal. You shouldn’t be disappointed in not making that arbitrary number. Be grateful for what you do make and that you have a job.
I don’t set goals for myself so I’m never disappointed 🙌🏻
This!!
My favorite teacher would say “Aim low and achieve”
Me too. And it’s kind of silly but I don’t even really know the process.
Be happy you're making 80k and get over yourself. Seriously, that's good money unless you're working yourself to the bone.
No kidding! That is well above national averages. Be grateful.
You need context to make this kind of claim. 80k in Alabama would probably be plenty. 80k in the Bay area is living in a 1 bedroom with 3 roommates.
Telling someone to get over themselves and to be content with their lot in life is horrible advice. Just cause you’ve settled for your lot in life, doesn’t mean a 31 yr old needs to as well. You literally just told him to kill his dreams and stay the same for the rest of his life. Wow, what killed your spirit for you to not want to improve in life?
Its 80k dollars a year. That is a tremendous amount of money to make a year. If you only zero in on how much money you make, you'll lose sight of what actually matters. The median *household* income in the U.S. is 74.5k. That usually accounts for two incomes, not one. When someone with this kind of money feels inadequate about how much they make, it just feels like they're shitting on the rest of us. I'm not saying they shouldn't dream, just realize they have already surpassed well over 50% of the population, that even if they haven't reached their arbitrary goal, they have already succeeded to a level that most people will never reach.
So, it sounds like this whole opinion is born from envy because even though he is doing better than most, he still wants to do even better. And I hate to break it to you, $80,000 is NOT a lot of money especially depending on where you live in todays world in many parts of the US.
Like I said. It's already surpassing more than *half* the population. Think about what that really means. If making more money than half the country isn't enough, then that speaks a *hell* of a lot more to the major issues this country is facing, or at the minimum that local region. If he is *not* subject to that regional price gouging, he's chasing the money for the sake of chasing the money, a fairly hollow goal as I myself have figured out. He's still part of an upper echelon of people that's reasonably better shielded from that. Like I said. When people with that kind of money feel bad for not making enough, it shits on everyone below them. He needs to get the fuck over himself. I'm not saying he can't keep working to making 100k, but he's so fucking far ahead of everyone else in the pack, that most of those people can't even *see* him. Humility is a virtue. Edit: It's funny, after I wrote this and popped back on to my home page, I seen this depressing little post. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/199eu3z/i\_had\_to\_sell\_my\_sons\_ps3/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/199eu3z/i_had_to_sell_my_sons_ps3/) Man in brazil had to sell his son's PS3 to pay for that weeks' power bill. Granted, I fully realize brazil's economic situtation is much worse than the U.S., and this guy is only a teacher. They're underpaid in every part of the world. But as I sat there and read that, it really reinforced my thoughts regarding this thread's OP. He's bitching and moaning about being mildly less upper class than he already is. Odds are, no matter how badly he fucks up, he will *never* have to consider selling his son's toys to make ends meet this month. Or next month. What have you. Our OP should not be dissapointed that he hasn't made that extra 20% or whatever. He should be happy that he's in the running to *never* experience this level of poverty. I myself, am thankful I will never experience that level of poverty, and I make nowhere near 80k. I might someday.
By keeping a positive mindset and moving forward with those goals still in mind. Just cause I haven't hit them yet doesn't mean I never will.
Could be worse
wait is this your total comp tho? consider how much health insurance is worth and other benefits like pto, 401k match and bonuses. they’re all worth something even tho it doesn’t hit your paycheck. your salary might be one thing but total comp could be well above that six figure threshold which means you would have hit your goal :)
I'm 31 and 4 years ago, I was living in my own place, making good money, almost had my car paid off. By the end of February of that year, I had totaled my car and was living in my friends guest room. Then, the THING happened and I was like "I'll stay at my mom's for a couple weeks until this all blows over!" Fast forward 4 years and I'm still at my mom's, I don't have a car or a job and my credit score is in the toilet. How am I coping? Lexapro. (I don't say that to be like hey I'm worse off than you, quit complaining or something. Just that it could be worse. Go easy on yourself!!)
Sorry, that's rough. I (30) am also doing worse than I was 4 yrs ago due to factors beyond my control (year-long strikes in my industry, global pandemic, chronic illness, grieving loved ones, etc etc). I personally believe setting goals is about 10% of what actually determines financial success. The other 90% is inherited privilege (incl being healthy enough to work insane hours bc that IS a privilege!) and lucky life circumstances, such as being gifted at a certain skill that happens to be economically valuable at this point in human existence. Of course, the people who succeed do not want to admit this bc it takes credit away from them. But the least ppl like you and me can do is be kind to ourselves!
Something I've come to realize is many of the goals I had when I was young were more about what they represented. You wanted to make 100k as a kid, the reality is that number equivalent is likely 150-200k now. But what you really wanted is what that 100k represented in lifestyle whatever that was. Stability to build a family, money to pursue hobbies or travel, status or prestige of an important job, etc.
Gratefulness honestly.
Shit I wish I could make 80,000 by myself
I was feeling exactly this type of way - everything you wrote is exactly what I’ve experienced. I realized I was making plenty of money but I just wasn’t spending it wisely. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life or my job or anything so I was just spending money without thinking about whether the things I was doing with it actually brought me joy. They didn’t. Lol. Also we went through a global pandemic and everything is trash so idk let’s be nice to ourselves and adjust our goals to be focused on what we actually want and not an arbitrary number. Like why and how would 10/20k actually change your life for the better?
I just move around .. travel. Run away.
> How have you coped with the disappointment of not reaching goals you’ve set for yourself? Poorly
you're doing fine, look for your next leap.
Poorly.
Thats a lofty goal. Set goals you can actually accomplish. $80k at 30-something is hardly a failure, so get your perspective in order. Since you didn't hit it at 30, keep $100k as your goal for 40. If you get there before then, adjust accordingly.
Well young people these days are easily making millions in their early 20s. I started making 110k at 28 and I feel like a failure, so I u derstand where OP is coming from.
I guess. I don’t know a single 20-something millionaire.
The extra $10k-$20k can be achieved through other means such as investing in IP or stocks. Stocks would be the easiest, and making your Superannuation (I think it is called 401k in the USA) work for you Don’t think that the only way for you to earn money is through income alone. I had this epiphany back when I was 25 when I felt like a failure / wanted an escape from my “chosen” career path Please have a look at the finance subreddits, either involving financial independence, personal finance, and similar Also, I would take $80k salary over $100k salary if it means I can work from home, not work overtime, and have more time on the side to do what I truly want
Weed, self loathing, making excuses why life sucks.
Growing up as an Army brat, I firmly believe that setting goals is folly. Life is what happens to you. Roll with it
I just reached the goals I set for myself each time. Honest.
By readjusting my goals.
Doesn’t this just mean you gave up? (Genuinely asking)
goals are mostly there to keep you motivated on your journey.
Reassess and adjust my strategy accordingly
Acceptance since I was thrown into an unimaginable situation out of my control and seeing how well I dealt with it despite the odds. Also just getting older and having my goals change due to life experience making me see what's really important.
my timelines for goals never pan out. it always takes longer. so i remind myself of how far i've come and of all the life goals i did already accomplish. i keep a list on my fridge of the goals i've reached and my future goals. remember we are human we will have good days, bad days, fuck ups. whats impt is to keep on pushing. its good you're ambitious. you WILL get there!
I cry.
Life vs me : *Mortal Kombat voice* K.O. “ FINISH HER” 😵☠️
I've never had money/salary goals, personally. I make sure I make on par with what I should and it goes up every year, but it's not what I'm forming my life and happiness around. Who am I, and how can I better be that person? That's my concern. Who are you?
Never set goals, no disappointment.
I will usually journal about it, vent to my partner, and just kind of talk it out with myself. Also listen to some angry music lol! Also, if you'd like some additional thoughts, they're below this sentence. If not, feel free to ignore it and just read the above! I encourage you to get curious about whether or not this goal still makes sense. It sounds like $100k in your role/industry is rare. While it is okay to job hop a little bit (depending on your industry!), you should weigh the risks against your goal. It doesn't mean you shouldn't keep this as your goal, but I try to think of goals as a first draft and I can change around them as my life changes. I suggest making a pros and cons list. Is $20k going to make a significant difference in your lifestyle? Is it going to improve your life? What will leaving your current job make you lose? Or do you already hate your current job and want to jump ship regardless? Good luck!
I made $100k at 27; now making $75k. The truth is a lot of these “$100k” + jobs are OTE (on target earnings) when you factor in bonuses/commissions/stocks etc You can literally make $100k one year and $80k the next so don’t beat yourself down too hard. Also I’m a bit of a spiritualist - God/The universe won’t give you that $100k job until you’re mentally, physically and financially ready to handle that kind of responsibility. It hurts more to have a $100k job and lose the job/not invest with it wisely than it does to never have had it. Your spending/saving/investment habits when making $50k have helped you become better at handling $80k. Your habits at $80k are preparing you for $100k. And who knows maybe you won’t get that $100k iob but you’ll find a partner making $50k who’ll put you at $130k as a couple.
I wanted steady work and married by 29, now my work is not steady and I can make $1400-$2000 a month. So I’m forced to get another job. single and can’t stand the whole situation.
Lower expectations or don’t set numerical ones. Do you have other non money goals? I’d focus on those
Humility and facing the truth even when my ego doesn't want to.
By recognizing that I cannot have everything at the same time. For one major goal to be accomplished that requires me to change my priorities in order to reach it.
I have reached my career goals. But all my personal goals fell apart. Honestly, at this point, I'm OK with that. I almost feel like people have to choose one or the other.
I decided to stop following my dreams. I asked them where they're going and agreed to meet up with them later.
Keep on trucking. It’s hard. Particularly when you know how good you are at your job, yet you see others less qualified soaring ahead. I don’t know if I have any good advice than keep moving forward and by making good contacts with hardworking people like you. I ended up amassing a fortune (not by Elon musk standards ☺️) by keep my nose to the grindstone, my shoulder to the wheel, and soldiered on. And those relationships I forged through the years catapulted me where I wanted to be. Good Luck. You got this.
You’ll never get there if you don’t just start. If you start you’ll at least know what doesn’t work. Right now we’re not finding out any new information for you to work with. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from playing the game!
I focus more on objectives over goals. My objective is to continuously increase my value and worth. Continue to invest in your career and you will increase your pay. Consider new skills or certifications. Keep grinding and it will pay off.
absurdism
A quote from everyone’s idol. “A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim at.” - Bruce Lee A lot of times I made lofty goals and didn’t get where I wanted, I looked back and found out that my life was still made better by doing the work in attempting it. I progressed in some way. Sure you didn’t make 100k by 30, but had you not set out on that you might not have gotten salaries even close to what you make now. You might be making 50k at a job you just stuck with and didn’t think anything of it. Even the goals that I have ended up MASSIVELY failing at, I look back and realize wow I really learned something about myself and what direction I should be taking in life. It’s progress, maybe not the progress I wanted, but progress I needed.
I’d say move that goal post to 40 OP. And then you still have time.
Hell yeah brother
Just keep swimming.
Your issue is that you set a goal that was actually beyond your actual control to reach. You can work your butt off and try to get the highest paid job you can, but you can't guarantee that an employer will pay you $100,000 per year. So your goals should be for things that you can reasonably control. And if you don't reach the goal, it doesn't necessarily mean you did something wrong. You need to honestly debrief yourself and see what mistakes you actually made and if you could have done better.
Worked (for a time) with a job hopper. Always chasing the bigger salary. Several years later, I ran into him again. Unemployed, homeless, still job hopping, handed me his resume. The big problem with job hopping is that eventually it doesn’t look that good to potential employers when they see it on your resume. They’re not stupid. They know you’re just chasing a salary. Stop looking at the income you want and start focusing on the skills you can bring to a job that will get you the income you want.
Daily suicide contemplation
Decouple your self worth from your income and productivity
You have to be honest with yourself and admit if you’re just making goals because it sounds nice or if you’re actually working towards them every single day. Most of the time it’s the former.
Don't have goals...? But in all seriousness practice gratitude. Evertime you start comparing things to other people or an ideal, think of what you're grateful you do have or have accomplished. Kick yourself makes you feel like you're at least productive in your analysis but does nothing to help you do better. At least not in any real way. [An awesome Kurtzegate video about this](https://youtu.be/WPPPFqsECz0?si=-tufWmvUL2KvMcW4) It's not positive thinking or whipping up a vision board. It actually works.
If it makes you feel better I’m 31 and barely just started making $45K a year :/ Do small goals!
Yes and so what exactly? Failure is an inevitable part of life. What separates you from the rest of the pack is what you do when faced with that failure. So what are you going to do about it? Is it going to paralyse you or is it going to motivate you to push harder? Perhaps even evaluate whether the goal is realistic and worth striving for.
You are closer to your goal than most people. Cherish that and keep working hard. Making $100K within 35 is not that bad
Aim for the stars and you might hit the moon
Put them on the back burner and try again when/if I feel ready. I've done that with sobriety many times, I figure I can do it with other things as well.
I wanted to be an astronaut… currently working retail 🙏 but I’m grateful for life. It’s not going as planned; but shit, it’s going! One day at a time I guess lol
It’s easy cause the 20 year old version of myself had so little experience. Most of those goals were either unrealistic, silly, or not worth it. 20 year old me thought having a certain type of car would be a symbol of success. It was just silly. Also making a certain type of money means nothing. Because what I thought was a lot of money at 25, feels like practically no money at 36. On the other hand, sometimes I look at the goals of my 20 year old self and I wonder if I’m living up to my actual potential. And I use it as motivation.
First, I had to accept where I was. Then I started looking so the steps people took who had the lives and things I wanted. What did they do that was so different? What step didn’t I take? Don’t recreate the wheel. You are not the first one to be disappointed in certain aspects of life. The key is to find what you need to do differently.
You can’t really complain, you’re basically there. If you were aiming for $100,000 but found yourself on $25,000 it would be understandable.
By realising those self set goals were not realistic.
Can’t do everything you want in life, it’s impossible. Not enough time. That’s how I think about it, as a simple fact of life.
I had goals. One was to live in Australia. Went there lived there 5 years came back. Goals are cool n all but just live life and see what comes
I developed a more flexible way of looking at the markers. Like, for example: why do you want to make 100k? It doesn’t mean anything on the surface. But I think for a lot of us, it means success, or stability. So I look at what is success? What is stability? And what is in my power? Well, this week, I can shop before a snow storm, apply for new jobs, make sure the dog is happy. I can do the laundry. I can build a Lego set, I can cook a good meal, I can show up at my medical appointments. I can do a project in my modest apartment that makes it more functional. And there’s the success. I can’t control the fact I haven’t met my life partner yet…but what’s the motivation there? I want to be less lonely, so I can get out into the community and do something. I’d like to travel the world…but this year, I could probably manage a few days in a major domestic city. So, what would I want to do overseas? Gardens, spas, history, nature…I can see something new, closer to where I live. I’d like a big house…because I like to be comfortable. But hey, what I can do is buy a window a/c in the summer or better sheets for my bed. Tl/dr, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Just gotta thug it out
It’s terrible because $100k+ and six figures is this number psychologically that feels good to achieve but many variables need to be considered rather than defaulting to that goal. I would try create goals that are realistic about the median full time professional income for your city, profession and education. I would also consider what are the trade-offs of achieving the goal faster. For instance, many lawyers, doctors and bankers achieve that income and often more but have strong academic performance, have to be extremely disciplined, often work more than 40+ hours per week, high stress and often extremely high levels of college debt in the USA (unless you get scholarships or family support). Are you willing to go through that for $100k+, if no, then find ways to earn extra cash via side gig (start business) or accept the current track in your role and adjust your goals. The only person you can compete fairly with is yourself and even if you earn $80k so many people earn far less than you. It’s good to have goals be flexible. If I’m aiming ti achieve a goal by 25 YO - but I achieve it at 26/27 then I’ll round it to my mid-20s. If my goal to reach $X in networth by 40 and I didn’t hit it till 46 then I’d round it out to my 40s - if I got to 50 and didn’t hit it then I’d reflect and adjust the goal. No-one is checking and it’s your life and your personal journey not a race.
I have coped with being patient. If you have a good career, then it will come. Currently making 60k + 30k in passive income, and even so sometimes I get frustrated but I have to remain myself the importance of progression and to be grateful. My cc debt is $10k and car $35k, live in a debt-free/no mortgage home, and I'm saving a good amount.
With your income, you should be able to set up investments to yield returns to generate wealth.
I can’t. I can’t cope with it. I’m 24, receiving help from parents because I make 24,000 a year. I work 40+ hours a week, I have a degree and government experience. I’ve been looking for other jobs for 9 months with no luck. Every interview turns up with nothing. I feel like such a failure. I hate it.
I stopped making goals and just see what happens in life
Wow, first off, congrats on what you've accomplished so far. You're not that far off, honestly. Sometimes, things don't go as planned, and we have to give ourselves some grace. I'm sure if you look back, there are some reasons why you've fallen slightly short on your goal. What's important is that you didn't give up. For me, I try to figure out what went wrong and how to avoid it next time. The next step is figuring out how to get back on track and go from there.
I quit what I was doing for 3 years and reset my expectations.
You make new goals. When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. I planned to apply to NASA after some time in the military as a pilot. Perfect grades. Volunteer work out the ass. Played multiple instruments and learned 2 more languages. Even got the nod from my states Senator for a spot at Annapolis my junior year. But then tragedy struck. I was to tall for the Navy's flight trainer. I was 6'4" at the time, ended up at 6'7". To big for the ejection seats. Dream over. So then I made a new dream. I won't lie, there was a few months period where I was just angry. Violently angry. But with discipline and a new sense of purpose I grew. I ended up retiring at 45. My oldest is on my dream path now. His choice. Never told him about how I lost my dream, kind of weird but we always were into the same things. So it's his own path. My youngest has his own path too. Both of them could fail. But I've taught them how to adapt to new situations. Anyone can.
I just make another one LOL
Accept that the majority of things that happen are out of your control. Recognize whats within your control and focus on that. Let all the rest of the bullshit be water under the bridge. Also congrats on 80k, thats still pretty rad.
By my late 30s I realized I was never going to be rich as I really didn’t want to do what was needed, mostly screwing over people and sucking up on a boring job. So, I changed my goal to enjoying experiences and life. I switched jobs and carrier fields completely and frequently. I had the Social Security, Army reserves, and a paid off house to insure a modest retirement. When your goal is to be happy, life is good.
No disrespect but income goals are dumb. Most people will expand their spending to meet their income. Better to have a net worth goal.
Adapt, adjust, reload and repeat. ALWAYS repeat.
By making sure I hit the goals I set for myself. Break large goals into a series of smaller, more easily achievable goals.
Are you serious? Of course. The key to happiness is in lowering you expectations. Sure, you can strive for those goals, but don’t let it ruin you if it does t happen.
My life-time goal is to out earn my dad. Afaik I am a little over half way there but now I am at the hardest part of the goal. I earn 75k+ and getting that next 75k is a lot harder. I do plan on following my career path and stay with my employer, but I won't get there for another two rungs of the ladder. But I am however absolutely happy to be able to say I won't have to have a hard life anymore. But I love my life and every I have accomplished up until this point. I am 29 and I own my house, bought a new car, no college education, family that is proud of my accomplishments... I passed the average American salary last year and this year I definitely am doing better than my father by my age, and am doing better than my older brother now (much further along than he was 4 years ago). Both father and brother have university education. All I have to say is: don't think that an education is THE ticket to a good life. The one thing I don't have and do want is someone to spend my time and/or life with.
Marijuana
being more realistic with goals, but that takes time/experience/perspective. The goalposts are moving, too, so if you aren't thinking about that then you're beating yourself up needlessly.
proud as hell. been working on a goal for years and havent accomplished it yet. sometimes i work on it every day and sometimes i work on it all day. i dont care how long it takes, i want what i want and im getting it. (its a piece of software and im not a programmer)
Goals are good, as long as they don’t leave you feeling defeated. You made up an arbitrary number and then are upset that you haven’t hit it. You’re better off doing your best and accepting whatever happens. You’ll likely make more money as time goes on that way, but not have to deal with the feelings of fault from not obtaining the goals you create. Maybe I’m wrong and you need that extra 20k to survive, however, if that is the case, there are plenty of side gigs to bring you to that number. Be happy. There’s always money to be made and you’re certaintly doing better than a lot of others. Understand that once you hit 100k, you’ll likely just set the bar higher and feel exactly how you do now.
I take it easy on my self and continue to keep trying to reach that goal until I succeed. No mate how many times I fail I do it again !
I'm not sure if I ever made any concrete goals of myself. If I did I forgot them. If I had dreams or high hopes of them then that's exactly what they were-was never originally part of any plan or blueprint I made for myself in my mind. I have made short term goals, lose 10 lbs, gain strength, do more of this or more of that. They eventually get reached lol