This one could not have come at a better time.
It's easy to slip into into a laziness pitfall, losing your motivation all the way down. We're all stuck at home, forced to stare at our screens all day to keep ourselves sane, and what's the first thing that pops up in our feeds? Friends and relatives and their sourdough starters. People being creative. Motivated. However, don't feel bad that you're not doing what they're doing. It can be so easy to turn your life around.
Reddit user, u/ecliipsed, asked the once-lazy to explain:
[Serious] People who once lacked motivation but are now successful, what changed?
Ask Yourself One Simple Question:
GiphySeeing others become successful, so I said "why can't that be me"
This has propelled me in my career. I'm not particularly ambitious, but I see other getting promoted and think "I'm pretty sure I'm smarter than them..." and then feel like I should get a promotion too.
"Analysis paralysis is a killer."
Realizing no one else has their sh-t together either, and if I just show up I'll be ahead of the pack. Analysis paralysis is a killer.
Ive never heard that term, but definitely know what youre talking about
The Magical Mixture
Mine is a 2 part answer. First I found something I actually liked doing and not just something other people wanted me to do. Secondly, I got antidepressants and therapy.
BAM! Functional human being.
Now I have a bachelors degree and working on my postgrad.
Cease The Vices
I finally put the pipe and bottle down 4 years ago. As of last Wednesday I have an AA from Folsom lake CC and am transferring to Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. I have my own apartment, plants and fish, a beautiful girlfriend that I'm planning on proposing to before the move, and my parents and I finally have a relationship again.
Fuel Yourself Up
As someone who recently got out of a 7-year funk, here's a big thing I've learned.
People are like cars — they need fuel. Not just food, but also other needs, like emotional support. As we go through life, we basically are running on fumes because our parents/teachers/friends tell us we're not good enough and not deserving of emotional resources.
But if we can recognize that we have needs that aren't being met, we can find ways to get those needs met. And once that emotional hunger has been sated and our "tank" is full, motivation comes with it.
For me, I found that there were some needs I had buried deep — uncovering them and addressing them has totally changed my life.
It's only been a few days that I've been like this, and I'll probably have another slump in the future, but this was a big breakthrough for me.
Take Care Of Your mind
My mental health. I was severely depressed throughout primary school and most of college. Graduated high school with a 2.5 GPA and then nearly failed out of college twice. When I could find any motivation at all I performed well.
I was finally allowed to see a therapist starting around 20 years old, and by my fifth year of college I'd become a 4.0 student. Went into a very competitive graduate school a few years later and graduated top of my class while being the only student working full time. I've excelled and been promoted in every job I've had since then.
Talent Doesn't Mean Much Against Hard Work
Just realizing that most who are successful aren't better than me. They're just doing whatever it is they're doing. As opposed to my relative inaction.
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
Just The Right Piece Of Advice At The Right Time
Someone I greatly admire once said:
"Motivation doesnt factor much into my life. Motivation comes and goes. If you lived by motivation you would accomplish little, or you would accomplish a wave every now and again. My life is run by discipline. Even when it's hard. Even when it's easy. I dedicate myself to discipline. Dont chase the little gremlin that is motivation, it runs too fast. Slowly climb the mountain that is discipline. You owe it to yourself."
I seriously attribute my success to that mindset.
Do It For Other People
GiphyI ended up with a girlfriend, love her more than anything, and when I realized my lack of motivation and action in my life made her worry, I did everything I could to change it.
Wait For It...
I quit.
When my highschool counselor told me to quit, I did. I cried, I felt lost, I felt alone. I was always told I'd never make it to college, we were too poor. Loans were something rich people could get. Nobody told me any different. Why waste my time with school? I started working full-time and I was the best employee when I showed up. It was a theme. That began a journey of quitting.
It was a long journey, with a lot of obstacles. Wasted time. Parties and clubs, bars, and late nights. I met a girl though. She pushed me to try. I quit my job for a new one with an apprenticeship. I had a reason to show up. It was something I was genuinely interested in. I quit calling in sick. I quit going to bars and clubs. I quit drinking. I quit smoking. There were a lot of positive influences. People. Those were the highlights. Positive people that inspired me, pushed me harder, and asked more of me than anyone else ever had.
I learned what humility was. I quit trying to prove myself. I quit trying to succeed. I quit trying to be the best. I quit feeling failure. I started just looking out for others. I quit worrying about what others thought about me, and started worrying about how to help others.
My life took a turn for the better. I had mentors at work and a family of my own. A wife and a young daughter. I volunteered teaching school children about science technology engineering and math. I went back to school, to college. I had dropped out of highschool with over a year's worth of credits from Advanced Placement courses. My apprenticeship gave me another year of credit and an Associate's. I entered an accelerated bachelor's program that had 16 hours of class every weekend for a year.
11 years after dropping out of highschool, I graduated with my bachelor's.
13 years afterwards, I graduated with my master's.
16 years later, I am now halfway through my PhD. I'm on the executive board of two non-profits, I'm a senior civilian in the US Navy with a decade of service, and the CEO of my own consulting firm.
What changed? I did. I quit being the kid who was told they'd never have a chance--I started being the man who gave others the opportunity they deserve. I found my passion. My pursuit is giving others the chance to learn and grow, showing them they have a choice.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk him about it.
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.