Want a Happy Life? Follow These 4 Steps in This Order.

Things that should not be controversial:

Some people are more attractive than others.

Some careers are more desirable than others.

Some choices are better than others.

I am not denying the fact that this is subjective on an individual  basis.

If you think that Danny DeVito is cuter than George Clooney, or that the coal miner is as  appealing as CEO, that’s your business, but, let’s face it: you’re in the minority.

If you think that Danny DeVito is cuter than George Clooney, or that the coal miner is as  appealing as CEO, that’s your business, but, let’s face it: you’re in the minority.

Which brings me to the point of today’s blog post on the “Millennial Success Sequence.” This is the name of a 36 page PDF created by the American Enterprise Institute which outlines an uncontroversial life plan for young people:

• Get a high school degree.
• Get a full-time job.
• Get married.
• Have kids.

Ta-Da! You would never have thought of that sequence yourself, would you?

And yet, over 50% of all children born to 20-30-year-olds are born out of wedlock. This choice – to have children without marrying – tends to lead to suboptimal outcomes for both the parents and the children.

That’s where this report came from. That’s why I’m sharing it.

What I’m not doing:

Shaming single mothers. Telling you your  children shouldn’t have been born. Suggesting that marriage is the only way to be happy. Insulting you in any way, shape, or form.

In other words, this isn’t fake news. If anything, it’s predictable news: Get an education. Get a job. Get a great relationship. THEN start creating new human lives. Simple.

This isn’t fake news. If anything, it’s predictable news: Get an education. Get a job. Get a great relationship. THEN start creating new human lives. Simple.

Change the order around and you are taking an unnecessary risk for your  kids.

Your thoughts, below, are always appreciated.

Click here to download the Millennial Success Sequence:

Key takeaways:

While 55 percent of 28- to 34-year-old millennial parents had their first child before marriage, the vast majority of millennials who married before having any children are now steering clear of poverty and appear to be headed toward realizing the American dream. Additionally, 95 percent of millennials who married first are  not poor, compared to 72 percent who had children first.

Even millennials from low-income families are more likely to flourish if they married before having children: 71 percent who married before having children made it into the middle or higher end of the income distribution by the time they are age 28—34. By comparison, only 41 percent of millennials from lower-income families who had children first made it into the middle or higher end of the distribution when they reached ages 28—34.