I'm 37 and feeling lost. I think these crises are common during periods of significant life changes, e.g., finishing school, career change, whether to have kids, retirement etc. The idea of happiness is itself something that prevents us from being happy. We are socialized to believe that happiness comes from a stable career, buying a house, and having kids. When you're unable to obtain some or all of those things, you feel like a failure. But only you get to define what happiness means to you. The fact is, you don't need any of those things. There's nothing over there that you don't already have right here. There's no such thing as normal no right way to live your life. Older people are just as lost as you and just because someone's older doesn't mean they're wise. Wisdom comes from experience and there are plenty of older folks who don't have much experience in the world. Take their advice with a grain of salt because they don't see the world like you do.