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We all want to believe we can change for the better, but it’s often hard to make it a reality. It’s also hard to see the forest of what our life could be like when there are all these trees standing in our way. Sometimes, all you can do is trust the end result will be worth it.
That’s what these 15 people did, and their stories are nothing short of inspiring.
#15. Best 30th birthday gift
“I quit drinking after blacking out almost every night for the last 13 years. Almost to 10 months. Was the best 30th Birthday gift I could have given myself.”
#14. Still a work in progress, but…
“Quit smoking weed. Started addressing my mental illness instead of masking it.
I’m still a work in progress but I actually look forward to every day now.”
#13. The biggest change
“So I was pretty close to a proto-incel in my teens/early 20s. I was 50 lbs overweight, I had zero muscle, I worked minimum wage overnights and played video games all day (I had opted to not go to college, I thought my brilliance would carry me to greatness on its own). I was also pretty greasy because I didn’t shower every day. If I got my hair cut, it was a buzz cut once about every 6 months. My clothing of choice was a black hoodie and the only blue jeans I owned that still fit (I went from a 29 inch waist to a 36ish after high school. I’m actually pretty sure they were my dad’s jeans).
I thought I was the bee’s knees, man. Truly thought I was desirable and was perplexed as to why girls didn’t like me (I cringe now, looking at pictures). I’d flip between that and thinking I was an utterly hopeless, ugly loser.
The changes I made, in order (I’ll leave out the detailed “how” for now):
I started keeping myself and my surroundings clean.
I lost weight and started lifting.
I got braces.
I got a proper haircut and started styling my hair.
I updated my wardrobe considerably. (This is where I started getting dates; they were kind of a mixed bag. I really had no idea what to look for in a partner – initially I was just happy that I got to touch boobs.)
I went back to school and got a degree.
Got a much better job, which has since led to several even better jobs.
The biggest change, really, was recognizing that I wasn’t handsome/perfect. I also wasn’t ugly/hopeless. I was just an average dude who wasn’t putting in real effort. This was (somewhat brusquely) pointed out by a girl I worked with and had asked out. I hated her for it, for awhile, but I eventually realized she was correct. My life is way better because of her telling me off in a brutal, but honest way.”
#12. Stuff that makes you miserable
“Decided to shape my life into one I actually wanted and not just settle for mediocrity and being miserable.
Reached out to old professional connections, got an awesome new job, quit my old unfulfilling/actively awful job, moved all my shit from my apartment into storage, drove my car to my parents’ house so they could look after it when I left the country, and started traveling the world full-time while working remotely. Absolutely love every second of my life now. Fuck doing stuff that makes you miserable.”
#11. Self-destructive behaviors
“I’ve quit drinking alcohol and smoking which has been very positive for many areas of my life but to be honest the social consequence caught me off guard a little. The consequence being that I don’t really know how to be a social person outside of what became very self destructive behaviors. All other areas of life operating at a full 5/7 though.”
#10. Did you know?
“Quit smoking after 6 years.Did you know you can actually run more than 20 seconds?”
#9. Incredible!
“I’m eating a bowl of granola, nuts and fruit every morning. A week later, and my body finally learned how to shit properly! Incredible!”
#8. A toxic parent
“Cutting off a toxic parent and sibling.”
#7. My sleep schedule
“Small but I started setting a bedtime alarm. I have a really bad sense of time so I used to keep saying one more mission in a game or one more video or one more chapter and i’d go to bed at 1am. This was not good for me as I need minimum 8 hrs. So I started setting an alarm 15 before bedtime to get ready and then one to be in bed. Now I rarely use it because I have my sleep schedule under control.”
#6. I take it there immediately
“If I’m in a room and an item belongs in a different room, I take it there immediately. This continues as I go into each room. One walk around the house and it is clean!”
#5. Stopped thinking I had to be the best
“Stopped thinking I had to be the best at everything / stopped thinking my worth depended on how other people perceived me.”
#4. Should be a treat
“Stopped drinking my calories. A coke or juice should be a treat, not the norm for all beverage needs.”
#3. I’m trying
“I’m trying to be nicer to people.”
#2. I started running
“I started running. I totally fell in love with the sport, and now I can hardly stand to take a day off.
3 years later I’ve got basically unlimited energy in my daily life, a good looking body, I’ve met a bunch of cool friends through the sport, It’s a hobby people find interesting/impressive, and best of all I get to run away from all the bullshit of life and spend hours of quiet and meditation sweating my stress away in the woods and mountains.”
#1. It isn’t a character flaw
“When I finally understood making a mistake isn’t a character flaw. For a long time I tried to avoid mistakes, and it only made me extremely anxious because I had to check everything I did at least 3 times.
Learning to say no also helped me improve my life. It has saved me from a lot of uncomfortable situations I used to get into because saying anything wasn’t in my vocabulary.”
