I really think I said everything that needed to be said on the subject. It's really simple and hard at the same time. Follow the 10 commandments, accept that you are going to be with the mother of your kids for the rest of your life and that you will need to make concessions. In sickness and health, in wealth and destitution etc... You'll immediately feel, as soon as the baby is in your arms, that your life is not what matters most anymore. Everything is now centered around making your home and your family. Career and hobbies and friends and sports etc become secondary. It doesn't mean you become a monk or a slave but it means that you accommodate everything according to your family cell needs first. A made a million mistakes I'm sure. And you will too. It's OK. We are all the result of a million of mistakes. You just have to avoid the big mistakes. Their will be bad times. Get prepared. Preparation is key. The more prepared you are the easier you'll go through rough patches.