What was the best change you ever made in your life?

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  1. The best change I ever made in my life was when I decided to get healthy and fit. I changed my diet and started working out regularly, and the results have been amazing. I feel better than ever before and I am so proud of myself for making this change.

  6. Getting a place with my partner, now wife, after years of living with friends and acquaintances in shared houses. There’s always the doubt before you do it of ‘what if we don’t like living together and it ruins things’, but it turned out to be amazing.

    It’s done more for my happiness than other things I’ve done like getting in good shape or changing jobs.

  12. I grew up in Ohio. I lived there until about 13 years ago.

    I had a great job practicing administrative law as a paralegal. I got to represent indigent (poor) people in administrative law matters.

    Something was missing though. I decided I needed a change.

    I applied for 10 jobs with AmeriCorps – a national service program – 9 positions in Texas and 1 position in Arizona. I interviewed for several, but the only position I was offered was in Arizona.

    I hopped a bus, by myself, and moved across the country to work with nuns and teach conflict resolution in an elementary school. I knew nobody here and had never lived more than an hour from my family.

    When I arrived, I called the nun to let her know I was here. She had bad news: the school lost funding for my position and I’d have to be reassigned.

    I spent the next year working part-time in two organizations: in the first, I helped to direct resource allocation for service to homeless individuals. In the second, I taught adult education classes to women in residential recovery from substance abuse.

    My pay was absolute shit (20% of what I made before moving) – but I got so much more out of it. I found myself and found my path in life.

    Because I moved here, I completed an undergraduate degree in sociology, anthropology, and health. I continued my education and earned three graduate degrees in counseling psychology, school counseling, and public health.

    Because I moved here, I was able to build a real relationship with my husband. He lived in Mexico – but I was able to visit every few months until he was permitted to come here. When he decided to stay, my legal background was enough for me to file the paperwork myself. He’s a permanent resident now. We’re separated, but we had a great life together for the first few years.

    I would have made a difference if I had stayed in Ohio… but now, I make a bigger difference.

    I lead the counseling team of two schools – consisting of ten professionals in the field. I teach them how to make a real difference in the lives of the students they serve, while carrying my own caseload. Every day, what I do and say impacts nearly 2,500 students. I have saved countless lives, and personally empowered thousands of young people to achieve their own brand of greatness in the ten years that I’ve been doing what I do… and more than that, I’m not mediocre anymore. I am fucking phenomenal at my job.

    I don’t just make a difference little-by-little. I am uplifting and empowering the people who will lead the organizations and write the policies that shape the development of our nation. I am building the future of our country, of our world.

  14. deciding to TRY to quit comparing myself to others and quit allowing others opinions dictate my own self view.

    it is something i know a lot of people struggle with and it’s not something that is light or dark. yea or no. it’s a maintenance thing. that’s why i prefaced “TRY TO”. it’s comes and goes but you have to remind yourself frequently that another individuals opinions don’t matter to where you’re headed. for every person that has something bad to say, there’s someone who will support you.

    so when you find yourself comparing or dwelling on others opinions, remind yourself that this is your life and journey. we will all get to the finish line; how you decide to get to there is up to you. and MOST people understand and respect that so don’t feel selfish or cringe for running your race and not someone else’s.

  15. Stopped caring about friends and family, moved away and just focused on myself.

    You will not believe what you can accomplish when you don’t have to worry about everyone else other than yourself.

    You can’t enjoy a holiday always carrying your baggage around why do that with your life

  16. Leaving my wife.

    It was ridiculously painful and complicated, but for both our sakes, it was the right call to make. We were young and idealistic when we got married, and became people that ultimately got in the way of each others happiness.

  17. 1) Stopped running after temporary dopamine inducers (Alcohol, Weed, Binge watching Netflix, running after useless self-validation)

    2) Learnt Coding. Thanks to it, I have a job which I relatively enjoy doing and have somewhat, a purpose or direction in life, the absence of which was the reason I over-indulged in the things mentioned in (1).

    I still do everything mentioned in (1) from time to time. Just that, unlike a year back, they are not my main priority in life.

  18. Reinvented myself from a graphic designer to a UI/UX designer doing prototypes 5yrs ago. The job is easier and the pay is 2-3x more

  19. Meeting my girlfriend is by far the best change that has ever occurred in my life. I think the only thing that could top this is making her a wife and a mother one day, which I definitely intend to do in the future. And I don’t say this lightly.

    Before her I used to wander through life aimlessly, taking things day by day and just letting life take it’s course. Never really questioned much, just kind of lived and accepted life for what it was. Never really had much motivation to work on myself or better myself because well, it was just me at the time. Nobody believed in me or gave me a reason to believe in myself and everytime I tried to be better, it was like crabs in a bucket with people dragging me down with snarky comments.

    And then she came along. She shifted my perspective and she gave me reason. She gave me something to work towards and encouraged me to be better, she still does to this day even if she doesn’t even know it. She made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this world and made me feel understood for the first time in my life.

    She’s given me a reason to be healthy and to go to the gym regularly, I want to stay fit for her, myself, and our future family. I want to stick around for a long time to have a full life with her and also have the energy to see the kids we make in the future grow up into fully functioning adults.

    She’s give me a reason to work towards the career that I want, and has opened my eyes to my potential. Before her I felt stuck in my career, nobody in my life really encouraged me to pivot because on paper everything was “perfect” yet I was miserable. She’s given me assurance that it’s okay for me to want something else, and go take a break to get to where I want to go. She constantly supports me in my current career pivot, whether it be buying courses or recommending certain resources. She’s my greatest source of emotional support through this crazy journey, and I’m just so thankful I have her by my side. I feel truly unstoppable with her in my life.

    She’s the only person in my life who has honestly believed in me in a long time and now I believe in myself like I never have because of her. She found a spark in me and brought it out. And honestly? She brings the best out of me every single day.

    She makes me genuinely happy. I could be having the worst day at work and she could just text me and poof, just like that, I feel grounded again. It’s incredible the things she does to me without even knowing. I’m so thankful to have her in my life.

    She understands me like nobody else. For the first time in my life, I’ve found someone I could trust completely and who has enough empathy to listen and understand what I’ve been through. That in and of itself has made such a huge change in my life.

    We laugh together, cry together, we go through life’s ups and downs and are truly there for eachother through thick and thin. I love her so much, and she makes me feel just as loved.

    I can go on and on about all the positive impacts she’s had in my life, but all I can say is that she is truly incredible.

    I never thought I’d find a partner like my girlfriend, someone who is so supportive and genuinely wants to see us grow together. It’s rare to find a partner who truly brings the best out of you and who loves you unconditionally. I’ve found that, and I’m never letting it go.

    Her being in my life is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m very thankful to have her in my life.

  20. I got kids. I love my kid but that’s not why. I was forced to become less compliant, to talk back and generally stand up for myself and for them. This also helped me to meet much more women after my separation. Best that could happen to me.

  22. Truly accepted Jesus Christ as my savior!

    Tried everything people say would make me happy, but that didn’t work. Having that relationship changed everything.

    God desires a relationship and not a religion. It took me 35 years to understand this, and it literally changed my life! God loves us and wants daily fellowship with us. But God is pure, so He provided a way through His love for us to be pure and have that relationship we desire. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin (and no other religion has a payment like this).

    John 3:16
    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

  26. Got a trivial one for you: Wireless headphones. Haven’t needed to replace them in year where as I had a new wired one every year or so.

    I kept noticing that they were damaged right were the wire connected so if the wire is detachable then the headphones themselves would stay in good condition. Other then having to ecchange them due to a faulty charging port in the first pair and lasting about an hour less then they used to they are still going strong.

  28. I quit League of Legends and overall my gaming addiction.

    Now I am doing CrossFit, so for some I changed an addiction for another lol.

  29. Leaving the white trash crackhead house . I stayed there cuz rent was affordable but it just wasn’t worth it. Bed bugs that have left me scars on my arms, a racist af landlord who never did anything about the infestations, a psycho roommate who never taught his dog to behave and due to his personality his dog would attack other dogs(including mine). Not to mention on one night they drugged me with a gummy bear that had LSD just for a laugh! Rent wasn’t worth it so I moved asap.

  30. You know that Hallmark movie, or I mean, all those Hallmark movies…

    …where the main character has a high stress job in the big city and goes to their rural or suburban home town, just for a visit for a funeral/wedding/baby shower/reunion/ and then meets an unassuming local, who turns out to be their perfect match?

    That except — **everything backwards.** Basically, moving to the big city was the best thing and everything fell into place around that.

  31. Creating the ability and opportunity to work a years worth in 2/3 of a year and spend the other 1/3 traveling

    It’s definitely not for everyone but when you’re getting on that plane it’s all worth it

  34. Stopped drinking. I never experienced clarity in my life. Now I am able to be aware of how great that feels. I didn’t know my brain worked in the ways it is capable of.

  36. I went from indulging in too many cheap beers to buying quality beer & now it’s maybe 1 beer a night at most & maybe 2-3 on a full weekend day. Quality over quantity & cost keeps my consumption way down.

  37. Currently 21, was forced by teachers(many of them) to go into the sciences because the arts students are seen as dullards, nobodies, and low earners. From Africa(Nigeria) by the way, made a final decision last year after battling with the fact that I’m not happy where I currently was, almost got me to a state of depression.

    Made a call some months back to my parents and told them how i was forced towards this career path. Did this with the intention to let them know that if i was not doing anything tech related after my final year then this was why. They received the news well and were happy i spoke up, still doing my final year(tech related) but also putting more time to drawings which I’ve always loved doing.

    I do understand the pov my teachers are coming from due to how things are in my country, but it’s also something that is capable of damaging someone’s life for as long as they breathe.

    This may not seem as something huge, but when you know what you’re good at and also passionate about deep down, there’s a feeling of joy you get while doing it. It cannot be replaced, so it’s always important to take that bold step, i may have lost 7 years of art training or polishing my drawing skills, but it’s never too late to start.

    Keep striving!!

  38. I stopped watching TV and movies. I might watch a movie once a while, but it needs to be something really unique and artistic – none of that MCU drivel. My life is now focused on more productive hobbies and social life.

    Look, I know MCU seems really cool, but people around me are far more interesting than Spider-Man.

  39. Met a woman who was on her way to a high end career (she’s now my wife). I realized that I needed to measure up to her. She never asked me to get my shit together. But being with her, I knew I needed to get more serious in life. I didn’t want to be the loser guy married to a highly successful wife. So I got serious about my career and everything else. Best decision I ever made. Her entering my life was the catalyst.

  42. I quit smoking 10 days ago and I’ve already noticed some beneficial changes. I’m still coughing a lot, but it’s a productive cough as I cough up all the crud in my lungs. I am not coughing myself awake in the middle of the night anymore. I feel better in the mornings. My senses of smell and taste are slowly coming back. My house smells good. I’ve saved $100. My mouth isn’t dry and doesn’t taste weird anymore. My wife is not asking me to go outside and telling me I should quit.

  43. Facing the fear of job insecurity in order to get back into teaching. It’s literally the best job I’ve ever had, and had I stayed away from it my life would be so much worse.

  44. Got a dog. My ex wanted one, I didn’t, ended up getting him anyway. I was the one that did most of the training, playing, exercising, caretaking, etc. and doing so exposed me to my biggest passion (hiking and nature in general) so of course I built the closest bond with this mf and since I’ve split with the ex I’ve just been doing the things that make life fulfilling for me.

  45. I learned how to get over my shyness around women, and how to be more social and less awkward in general. I had good help from a few friends who had made the same journey. I used to be a big nerd with no social skills, now I’m a big nerd with social skills.

    The other great change was taking up skydiving, and becoming an instructor. I’m not a natural at skydiving (but I love it anyway), but I’m pretty good at teaching if I may say so myself, and I enjoy it a lot. Helping someone develop into a skydiver and seeing their progress before my eyes fills me with pride.

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