My advice is too late for everyone here (unless there's a 17 year old out there reading this) and that's to travel, go adventuring, and explore your limits while young.
I worked summer or contract jobs in the bush when money was needed and hiked, sea kayaked, rock climbed, and went to art/photography schools until I was 32 years of age. I call them my early retirement years.
It did come at a financial cost; having limited purchasing power compared to my friends who went straight to work after high school or straight from university into careers.
The question is; how important are 'things' compared to memories of exploits while in the physical prime of life when youthful optimism is at its highest, not ground down by time and the realities of the world?
Our house (1/2 of a duplex) vehicle and boat are bought & paid for, we have savings, and our daughter is off at college (natural resources management) with us having saved for her first two years. She will be earning enough in summer jobs after that, augmented by gymnastics coaching if she wants, to pay for further schooling if she feels that's needed. After school she intends to volunteer/work around the planet wherever her interests take her...before career, mortgage, or kids. Good plan
Because I started where I work at 32, and it took about four years to move from casual, to part time, then full time work, it will take me until the age of 67 to get a full pension. The earliest I can retire without a major hit to the pension is at 60 years of age which is less than a year from now.
Am I going to work another 7 years?
No way!!!
We can't sea kayak anymore due to a car accident, so we'll boat the north coast of BC extensively until age makes it too difficult. We recently bought a 5x8 insulated cargo trailer with a roof vent, side door and egress window to trick out into a micro trailer for when the time comes to swallow the anchor.
Point is, we'll hopefully finish our lives as we began; exploring places we love in a frugal manner where the emphasis is on the experience, not the level of luxury in which it can be done.