Thanks for sharing your story - I have found it insightful. I can relate on many different levels although our backgrounds are a bit different.
I too am like you in that I am essentially "counting" on an inheritance at some point, but also try and put it in the far back of my mind and not let it interfere with my day to day life. Nonetheless, it still does impact my approach to things (i.e., I got laid off, wouldn't be a huge deal....maybe I take a nicer vacation than I otherwise would....maybe I take more risks at work....etc).
I am 27 with a healthy NW for my age myself. My parents often reference their estate (they are in their mid to late 60s)....I have 1 brother...they have a NW of about $4.8m ($1m of which is in real estate) and their annual spend is about $120k. They are very conservative and watch their spending very closely. Sometimes I find it difficult to see things through their lens, so to speak, though. Sometimes I feel they are so modest and frugal to the point where it is so immaterial to their overall wealth (i.e., penny pinching). When on the contrary, I view things differently. That's not to say I am frivolous; I still save a healthy amount of money each year, but I am more focused on enriching experiences, enjoying life, building positive relationships, etc. They are too but are very "old school" in some respects.
But I guess our contexts are different. When they were my age, they didn't have much if anything, which is exactly opposite of where I am.