Ten years ago I was a junior in high school. If you had asked 16-year old Emily where she thought she would be at 26, she probably would have told you something that looks very different from the life I am actually living now.  

My Checklist

In high school I was very much influenced by my surroundings and adopted a checklist of certain expectations for my life. Here were the big ones:

1. Graduate college in four years.
2. Get married by 22.
3. Have my first kid by 25.
4. Start my own business before 30.