Yes and no. The original plan was to just get by and "serve my time" essentially. Then I met my now-wife and decided I should aim a little higher for her sake.

At no point did I ever have a "plan", and I've been through many highs and lows (mostly lows, with respect to finances and mental health), and several completely different careers, but I've finally stumbled on something that pays well enough to fix the financial side of things.

The only advice I've got is to take it one day at a time, and try to make today just a little bit better than yesterday. Compound interest applies to life, the longer you make these tiny adjustments, the more they add up over the years.