What's the best thing you've ever done for yourself?

[Apirateslifeforme]

If you look back at your life, what's the best thing you've done? I want to know what is the best thing that people have done for themselves in their life.

I'd really like to read things that people have done that have changed their life for the better =)

Had my daughter. I became someone I actually really really liked when I had her. I realised that I am a very loving person, a kind person, that I am very creative. I like myself now that I know these things about myself. I also have something I believe matters to do in this world, which I never really had before despite getting many qualifications and trying out many different career paths.

"allowed myself" to go travelling - so many people, including me at the start, thought it was a bad idea but it changed me so much for the better...

I wanted a dog my whole life. On my 70 th birthday I told my DH that I was going to get a Rescue and I did. She loves me as much as i love her. I feel so happy and contented.

@TheVanguardSix
That’s great. I work for 111 and the amount of people phoning when they should be phoning 999 is ridiculous. It’s a non emergency line. It really delays patient care. Can I ask what was the ambulance for?

Went to China for a summer school whilst at uni. It was just after a bad break up and I was brave and decided to go alone and I had the best time! Brilliant!

Taught myself to touch type. Made me more employable.

Took up my employer's voluntary early retirement package.

@vampirethriller my niece got herself out of a pretty much identical situation and is now a wonderful mum. My heart just bursts with admiration for her.

Well done, you are amazing

I always prioritised my studies and later my career. I sometimes sacrificed time with friends, missed a few parties and I broke up with boyfriends who got in the way. My alcoholic mother was extremely unhelpful and destructive but I left home and kept studying. Now, I’m happily married and have children and really really really appreciate my job. I earn good money, have a lot of freedom and good hours. We own a really lovely home that I’m proud of. My work life balance is the best it has ever been and I give my children a fantastic life. I’m proud of myself for doing this for us.

Learnt to drive and lost a lot of weight. Both after my ex husband left me so maybe that was the good thing :)

Had a breakdown and ended up off work for a long period and paid for a lot of counselling, absolutely changed my life, back at work and healthier and happier than I have been in a very long time.

@StickerMania115 yours interests me because I want to do professional qualifications and it doesn’t look like it’s happening through work. I always think I don’t have the spare money or time but I think I definitely need to think about where I could get me in the future and that looking back the money would have been worth it.

Education - degree and PhD was my way out of the insular, rural community I grew up in where females were (and still are) seen as a second class citizen. That was my means of escape.... then all the other wonderful things like job, travel, kids, husband followed. I wouldn’t have had the choices and independence had I stayed and would’ve ended up getting married to a local farmer in my teens and having lots of kids. As it happens I did end up marrying a farmer And we live in a very rural area now but he was of my choosing and not based on parental approval out of a very small pool of available blokes of the right sort of age who lived within a few miles of my family home. Phew.

I’ve always been hugely hugely independent and I took a job abroad when I was straight out of uni, which I only got the visa clearance for about 3 days before, had to pack/books flight and find somewhere to live in a country I didn’t speak a word of the language.
It’s given me so much confidence even years down the line tht I was bold enough to do that.

Got a 1:1 and then a distinction at masters level - all while having young children and working. It has made a big difference to my life

AgentCooper glad to hear about your niece! Thank you everyone.
I've got a little rescue dog too, like others have said she's been so good for me.

Education, divorce, choosing MrDudsville, moving, starting retirement savings. All life changing

Left the ex then two and a half years later ditched the toxic family.

Managed to obtain 5 CSE grade 1 when I left school, despite having a very abusive childhood.
Left my home town when I was 29 to move to London.
The 5 CSEs where enough to get me in my nursing diploma.
Had many years of therapy.
Met my husband - left my husband 10 years later due to physical and emotional abuse.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever ever been.
I’m still a work in progress.😇

What a wonderful thread. Full of positivity and so inspiring, thank you.
Mine are:

• Learning to drive, I found it so difficult, still do. I’m so glad I persevered as I shall have it for life (as long as I don’t break the law)
• Saving up and going on an adventure, I climbed Machu Picchu (as part of a small group) but alone in the sense I didn’t know anyone. It massively helped with my mental health, my fitness etc. I now try and plan something every year, maybe cycling to somewhere in Europe, climbing the three peaks. I find this is the cure to any blues having something to look forward to and work towards.
• Having my eyebrows tattoo’d on, I did a years research on the best person to go to and it sounds shallow but it has changed my life, I had none before and it has really given me the confidence to leave the house without touching my face!

Lost 5 stone

Quit smoking. Got a PhD. Started eating (I had anorexia). Therapy. Stopped OLD. Started tinting my eyebrows.

Learnt my own value.

There are so many extraordinary women on this thread, it's brilliant.

Mine are getting out of a job with an extremely gaslighting abusive (female) boss, and when I was offered statutory redundancy, held my nerve and asked for double. I got it, and the money was great (I got a new job the week after) but it gave me a lot of confidence back after having it chipped away by that bitch for two years. And today I got exceeded expectations on my appraisal in my new job :-)

The other thing is getting back on my bike after 20 years off. Holidays, commuting, fitness, recreation, making lots of new friends - it's been amazing.