I know way more women than I should who are in relationships that have gone on for 3, 4, 5, even 8 years with no ring in sight or she has a ring (and a child or children), but no wedding date.

Always keep your timeline in mind. Always remember that a man knows very quickly ---within the first few months if he wants to wife you. He does not need years and years to decide. Always be ready to walk if he is dragging his feet, moving goal posts, and saying "I want to see where this goes."

Even if he does marry you after 3+ years, it is still time wasted because you could have been experiencing the benefits of marriage (e.g., buying a home together, having children, increasing finances, etc). Never fall for the sunk cost fallacy!

Caveat: this applies to people in their late 20s and above who are working adults. Also, I know several women and men who had multi-year relationships while in med, law, grad school, but they got married shortly after graduating. Likewise, plenty of people get married in med, law, grad school.