Charyn Pfeuffer

Like a lot of people, I was raised to think about life in a particular way. You go to <a id="fcb44a32-4050-3501-a9ee-d7b227187e5f" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/college?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> college </a> , land a steady <a id="19d61e56-3aa5-3b18-a8cb-6312e0e8f9d6" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/9-lessons-i-learned-when-i-ditched-my-9-5-to-work-for-myself-2016-3?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> 9-to-5 job </a> , meet "The One," and then swap a promise and a piece of paper before getting down to raising a family.

Somewhere in there, you may adopt a pet, or take the next big step and buy a house. This typically happens between a man and woman, who once coupled, remain linked in almighty monogamous bliss until "death do us part." I never bought into this fairy tale, although the storyline was pushed throughout my childhood and 20s.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine, though, that I'd have the life I have now at 45. I steered clear of societal norms or pressures, and my life continues to grow more abundant and fulfilling every single day.

Here are 8 ways my <a id="be1978db-37a5-3a9c-a45a-40119faa38c3" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-ways-to-help-you-deal-with-change-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> life </a> looks entirely different than I ever imagined:

<a id="c50b8360-04b7-34ff-addd-3dc2fdbf5e3d" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-life-age-45-looks-expectations-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest#/#1-i-didnt-follow-a-typical-career-path-1"> See the rest of the story at Business Insider </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-luxury-interior-designer-nyc-penthouse-townhouse-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">A day in the life of a luxury interior designer, who starts her day with a 'caffeine cocktail,' has designed homes for Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, and goes to a SoulCycle class every night</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-self-defense-class-changed-my-life-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">I got 'mugged' 35 times in a self-defense class — and it changed the way I see the world</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/underrated-national-parks-visit-black-friday-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Some people are skipping Black Friday shopping to spend time outdoors — here are 8 underrated national parks to visit over the holiday</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: 7 hard truths about adulthood that my 20-year-old self would never have understood

8 ways my life at 45 looks nothing like I expected

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Charyn Pfeuffer

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8 ways my life at 45 looks nothing like I expected