People got together online and shared stories about the things that happened in their lives that created somewhat of a "B.C. and A.D." separation in their lifetime. These stories are a simple reminder that sometimes, the best things in our life are unfeignedly ahead of us.
"reddit_for_ross" shared how a simple social skill adjustment made all the difference
Before MDMA, I had poor social skills, was annoying and often rude, and sad most of the time.
During my roll, I experienced the classic effects of loving everyone around me and wanting to share that with them. I had no issue striking up conversation with any random stranger, showering them with compliments, etc. I remember seeing everyones face light up with happiness, it was really excellent.
After my roll, I realized I could just keep doing that while sober, so I did (to a lesser degree, of course). Immediately my life took a massive upward swing! You know the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? Incredibly, against all odds, it's true and people will treat you a lot better if you treat them well. Additionally, simply seeing someone smile makes you happier.
On top of this, I fully embraced my bisexuality (Didn't even realize before this, but looking back it was always obvious). I had full comfort in expressing myself exactly how I wanted to, which has relieved a ton of stress. All in all, trying MDMA was the best decision I've ever made in my life.
"SomeRespect" shared how one book made all the difference in his life
I've always grown up as a shy guy who never had many friends, kept to himself, and was terrible with women. One day I came across a book called Models by Mark Manson. That book was responsible for undoing 20+ years of bad social conditioning by my immigrant parents that made me unattractive according to American values. Really turned my life around for the better, in more than just dating & relationships.
One man by the name of "mycatsadie" shared a story about how he decided to divorce his wife because he was unhappy with his "loveless" marriage.
I was 43 years old in a loveless marriage and I was out cutting the grass. Mowing the lawn is something that doesn't take a huge amount of concentration so its possible to zone out and think about things that are happening in your life.
I was very unhappy and so was she and I think both of us felt trapped because of everything we had was obtained since we first met. I knew if I left I would take a huge financial hit and at my age there would be no way I would ever be able to make up the loss by the time I was ready to retire.
I was about three quarters of the way done when it began raining. I kept on cutting and I surprised myself by beginning to cry. I looked around and at that moment realized that the house and everything in it wasn't worth feeling like this for the rest of my life. I mourned my marriage and all my stuff and kept cutting and crying.
When I was done I put the mower away, dried off and started moving on with my life.
Its been twenty years and I now have a small house and a small yard. I still cut the grass but never in the rain.
"sirdigbykittencaesar" also shared a divorce story about losing everything, while gaining an entirely new life at the same time.
Becoming poor basically overnight after divorcing my ex-husband. I went from having money for travel, clothes, new electronics, or whatever, to going on food stamps, ruining my credit, working 60-hour weeks for s--t pay, and sometimes going hungry. Things are better now, but it has been incredibly hard, and in some ways I'm still recovering after more than 10 years.
The good news is, it made me a better person. I'm more compassionate, less entitled, and wiser about what is and is not important. And I managed to build a career from scratch during the worst recession since the 1930s. I'll never have the kind of money I used to have, but that's OK, because I make every last dollar honestly, and don't have to be married to a controlling, narcissistic d--khead anymore.
"knotsophia" learned the power of unconditional love from her family when her world started to cave in.
Before and after my abuse stopped. My abuser finally went by his word and hacked my email, got all my contacts and spread about all the pics he’d taken of me (spoiler: CP)
One of the girls made sure to note and emphasize my school name and grade, my “friends” shunned me, my catholic school expelled me for tarnishing their name and every single person I met in the next couple of years let me know they’d gotten the email, since it had gone viral.
I realized then that my family does love me, they supported me through it and didn’t judge me like the abuser had made me believe. I stopped living in fear, I had nothing to lose, I realized who my real friends were and entered university still depressed and fucked up but a huge weight lifted off my shoulders
"TheF0CTOR" shared a story about the importance of finding something to believe in.
When I received my high school diploma, I realized that I didn't have any life goals. I was forced to admit that community college was my only hope of a future that didn't involve living with my parents into my 30's. Soon after I was inspired by Air Disasters on the Smithsonian Channel to pursue a career in aviation safety, and I completed my Associate degree with a 3.56 GPA and transferred to my first (and only) choice university where I am now.
I'm happier now than I've ever been because I'm working towards something that I believe in, and I'm really good at it.
"A_Prickly_Cactus" spent 15 years abusing alcohol. He learned to put the bottle down and never went back.
Alcohol. I lived roughly 15 years of my life drunk as hell, to the point where I have no memory of huge chunks of time.
Two years ago, after months of “talks” (arguments) with my wife, I put down that bottle of vodka and haven’t had a sip since.
I’m much more clear-headed, I lost about 20 lbs. pretty quickly, and I’ve been told that my sober personality is much more laid back, and much less assholey, than my drunk-ass personality. I’ll never go back.
"quietsamurai98" shared how changing your surroundings can make all the difference in one's life.
I moved from a tiny town in Massachusetts to a much larger town in Texas halfway through high school. My old school district was too small to really be able to offer much in the way of electives, and the workload we were given was absolutely ridiculous in retrospect, and the constant stress eventually turned into depression.
After I moved to Texas, my new high school had enough people for electives to make sense. I ended up taking four years worth of CS electives in the two years I was there. The workload was far lighter, and school got a lot less stressful. My mental health improved, and I figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
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