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If you’ve ever had to give up an unhealthy habit, alter a deeply ingrained behavior, or pick up something completely new to you, then you definitely know how hard change can be. Even though adaptability and flexibility are virtues, far from everyone embraces them. To put it bluntly, it’s nice to be in your comfort zone, even if your life is far from great. When you start taking steps outside of that zone, you feel vulnerable.
What’s more, it can be frustrating if you don’t immediately see any results. However, the small decisions you make every single day add up given enough time—for better or worse.
So, one tip that might help you is that you should have realistic expectations. Don’t believe your own hype that you’ll overhaul your life for the better in a few days. It can take months (or realistically—years) of small changes to get to where you need to be. For example, if you want to live a healthier, happier life but hate exercise, you won’t become an athlete overnight. It’ll take lots of dedication and perseverance to reach your goals.
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I started running. At first, I could only make it a couple of hundred feet. My ankles felt like they'd burst into flames. But I leaned into the pain, because it felt like something other than despair. I kept running. Within a year, I was fit, swore off violence, and found several compelling reasons to live. And I got hopped up on bananas and Diet Coke and ran 13 miles one afternoon like it was nothing.
I've fallen back into the pit several times in my life, but I always claw my way out toward the light. Running has always been the fulcrum. I'd be dead without it.
A good rule of thumb is to make your goals as clear and specific as possible. According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Teaching and Learning, you can use the SMART framework to meet your objectives effectively. Each letter in the acronym stands for the following: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic (what some sources name as Relevant), Time-bound (or Trackable).
To elaborate, your goals must first be very concise and tangible. Next, you have to find a way to measure them so you know whether you’re progressing and can tell if you’ve reached them. Then, the goals should be attainable with the resources you have and the deadlines you’ve set yourself.
You should also consider whether your aims are realistic and relevant to your life. And finally, you have to set deadlines for when you should reach your goals.
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(I've seen the other kind of 180, too...but I'd rather think about the good ones.).
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There was no fanfare. She just quietly went about changing her life. Most of us had just sort of written her off as a lost cause. My sister (her mother) had actually assumed legal custody of her kids.
And she just...changed. She did what she needed to do to get her life back on track. It took a while, but it's one of the most amazing and remarkable turnarounds I have ever seen.
Mayo Clinic suggests that if you have a general inclination to eat healthier, you should take the time to get very specific. What exactly does healthy eating look like for you as you get older? What are the unhealthy habits that you struggle with? It’s all very personal. Someone might aim to stop guzzling soda every day or to eat fewer sugary snacks. Another person might aim to eat at least five servings of fruits and veggies every day.
If you want to ‘walk more,’ you should first note how often you go for a walk, how many steps you do on average, and how much time you spend on the go. Then, you can come up with a very specific goal—e.g., doing 5% more steps every week for the next few months. The exacty numbers will depend entirely on your current lifestyle. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be walking that you focus on. Any activity that you enjoy and gets you moving will do.
Meanwhile, if you aim to lose a bit of weight, it’s far healthier to be realistic and aim for one or two pounds and celebrate those victories. The alternative is setting yourself an overly ambitious goal that you might fail to reach quickly, which will only demotivate you. If on top of everything else, you track your achievements (say, in a journal or by taking photos of yourself), you can keep a constant record of all the awesome progress you’ve made.
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Suddenly, one of the doctors got it right--it was a rare nerve disorder called tarsal tunnel syndrome not unlike carpal tunnel. He diagnosed it by having a guy inject painkiller directly into the suspected nerve tube. First time in six years I felt no pain. Soon I got surgery and once my foot healed I was amazed that I had basically no more mobility limitations. I went from struggling to make it through my daily activities to dancing for hours at a wedding. This surgery coincided with my university graduation and I was able to get many seasonal jobs one after the other and do biological fieldwork like I had always dreamed of. I tromped through marshes, hiked through deserts, camped in forests, all things that would be totally impossible before.
It really was a complete 180. It felt like a miracle honestly. Now I always appreciate my health and whenever I see someone mobility impaired from age or anything I greatly empathize with them.
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He was wealthy at a young age and even had an actual, honest to God marriage of convenience/trophy wife.
He was driving alone on a rural road in the holidays and had a car accident where it flipped. He got some head trauma from that, but also the heat in the car went on and out of control. So, it turned into heat stroke that became an actual stroke.
Took him three months to get out of a coma. He wasn't good at math anymore and had a soft and friendly personality . Like, unusually so, for him. He also immediately demanded to be given drawing supplies. He didn't have a lot of memories of before and still doesn't. He's not rich anymore, is a professional artist now, and him and his trophy wife fell in love for real.
He's extremely happy. He threw out all of his business suits, wears exclusively Hawaiian shirts, has a bunch of dogs, is bisexual and makes erotic ceramics.
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Well you wouldn't f*****g believe it, but that bastard won 30 grand on a $5 scratcher.
He sobered up, bought a car so he could get a better job, and (I haven't heard from him in a few years cuz i moved but i see his posts every once in a while) is living happily as a nighttime janitor for a school.
Sometimes, I wish I could explain to the billionaires of the world how .000001% of their wealth could completely change a life, but I'm so poor I'd get crucified for even thinking about having a conversation with one of em.
Do you know anyone who has completely changed their life, whether for good or for ill? Have you ever fundamentally overhauled your career, health, or relationships?
What advice would you give anyone who’s struggling to change for the better? Share your experience and wisdom in the comments, Pandas!
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2 years later he was a convicted felon with no home, less family and no career.
180’s are not always good things.
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Going back about 12-13 years ago got married (Indian culture), wasn’t happy but went along with it
Started great then the verbal assaults began. Soon turned physical (her to me), but I never raised my hand.
Went into a slow downward spiral of heavy drinking every day after work - spending up to 6-7 hours in the pub just to get away from being home.
Lasted about 2-3 years. Finally bit the bullet and moved out, staying with friends and doing overnight shifts
Family didn’t wanna know me as I’d “disrespected the family name” by going through a divorce.
The drinking got worse, I’d subsequently lost my job as a result and legit felt there was no way out.
Then … Low and behind a friend of the family reached out. She was living on rent and offered to take me in (speaking with her landlord who accepted)
Moved to the other side of London, got myself a job starting from scratch - done my best to stay off alcohol.
Fast forward 10 years - now teetotal, married (again) for 7 years, got a 4 year old son and two dogs - and a homeowner.
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