Content warning: This post contains a brief mention of suicidal ideation.
Anyone who's spent a few years on this planet knows that one choice — made at the right (or wrong) time — can drastically change your life.
That's probably why redditor u/nevermeant2bethisway asked, "What was a choice you made that changed your life forever?" and got tons of fascinating responses. Here are some of the top comments:
Some of the stories were just plain heartwarming:
1. "To go into McDonald's when I was 7. I was having a final farewell week with my dad as I was moving away to Scotland with my mum the week after. As a treat he took me to McDonald's, but on the way I changed my mind to Burger King — and then I changed my mind AGAIN and we went back to McDonald's. Thank goodness I did, because the total strangers standing in the queue in front of us was a mum and her 6-year-old daughter, it was her birthday as she had a '6' badge on. Me and the daughter immediately became friends and her mum and my dad decided we should all go to the park together. They swapped numbers and stayed in touch...
"Every time I visited my dad from Scotland I would ask to see the girl from McDonald's. A few years later my dad and her mum moved in together. Then when I was 14 they got married and my best friend got to be my sister. This year it will be 25 years since that day I walked into McDonald's. So very very grateful."
2. "My then boyfriend, who was my childhood sweetheart, looked at me and said, 'Want to go to the courthouse next week and get married? We can tell our families later.' I said yes. Then I invited his parents and siblings and best friend, and I invited my favorite sibling and my best friend. Had the best less than 15 people in attendance wedding. We celebrated 10 years in April. We have a baby due in August. It was the best 'fuck it, yolo' decision I’ve ever made."
3. "Back when The Onion was only in print, there was an ad in one issue that said The Onion Personals: You could do worse. Hell, you always have. Met the love of my life a few days in."
4. "I was in high school, was going to sit next to this one girl, X, who I had a crush on. Then I heard another girl, Y, just a casual friend at the time go, 'Hey, sit next to me here.' X was kind of ignoring me at the time, so I moved. I'm glad I did, cause I ended up marrying Y and we're still very happy."
5. "Coming out, saved my life."
Other stories were about the first step people took to improve their lives:
6. "Twenty-five years old, working as a waitress/bartender for five years, went down to the local community college one late August day to just get some information about how to become a nurse. Sat down and talked with the professor, who before I could even think about it or change my mind, signed me up on the spot. A year later boom, I was an LPN. Fast forward six years later I was an RN, now it’s 30 years later and I’m still at it!! But it gave me a good life, and the ability to save for retirement (hopefully in 18 months!!)."
7. "At one of the lowest points in my life, I decided to start journaling and do one small drawing every day. Two years later, I'm still doing those drawings. I've never been very good at sticking to things, but I managed to stick to this. This small achievement gave me confidence, and I was able to use that confidence to affect change in my life, for the better. I'm now starting a new job this month and my life is looking much brighter than it did back then. It seems silly, but I really do feel like that small step towards discipline and daily productivity really helped change my perspective and outlook."
8. "Left the fundamentalist Christian church. I was in a leader training meeting listening to a pastor talk about encouraging others in the gift of prophecy. I realized that I couldn’t in good conscience encourage people because I didn’t believe it. After the meeting, I asked the pastor to talk. I told him that I wasn’t doing the program. I spent about a week sorting out what I believed, what I disagreed with, and what I didn’t agree with but accepted as a benign cultural part of Christianity. A week later, I told the pastor that I was leaving the church. It’s been 17 years and I have never regretted this."
9. "Applying to a coding bootcamp. I went from being a broke stripper to an upper-class salary working white collar jobs in months."
"Best decision I made as well. I don't absolutely loathe what I do for 40 hours a week anymore and I have enough money to only have to check my bank account to make sure I still have the financial cushion I managed to get into place.
I can't speak to what the job market is nowadays, and I personally wouldn't recommend a bootcamp when everything you need is available for free online, but if anyone has ever been interested in giving coding a shot I'd strongly recommend it."
10. "Choosing to participate in martial arts was a decision that forever changed my life. It had a profound impact on various aspects, including the way I talk, walk, and perceive myself. Martial arts gave me more confidence and transformed my mindset."
11. "Eleven years ago I decided to stop buying cigarettes. I was a pack a day smoker for 17 years. I said I'm not quitting, I'm just not going to buy any today and if it lasts a week, a month, a year, then great. But didn't want the pressure of quitting, and hey, it worked. I don't miss it at all."
12. "Decided when I started college to start saying yes to opportunities and to interact with people more often instead of being paralyzingly shy. My reasoning was that in college, no one would know who or what I had been, so being someone new would not look fake or phony. Life immediately became less stressful and more fun. That has remained the case ever since."
13. "Last year, the best choice I made was to quit my dead-end job and pursue my CDL [Commercial Driver's License]. Throughout my entire adulthood, I had been making no more than $34k a year. However, this decision led to a significant change, as I now earn $65k. While it may not appear substantial to some, this increase has truly been life-changing for me. Additionally, I am proud to be part of one of the best unions in my area, which provides excellent benefits for both me and my family."
And a handful of stories were about personal relationships — some of them bittersweet, some of them with an important message:
14. "I was engaged at 24, [but] we called it off; a mutual decision. She went on to eventually marry and have two kids and raised a beautiful family. I moved out of state, worked for three beverage companies that all ended up getting bought. Not retirement money but allowed me to travel, live in full amenity lofts in downtowns and go to every concert festival I wanted. I realized I wasn’t the family person and glad we didn’t get in a situation that would have been detrimental to everyone, especially if we got married and had kids."
15. "I chose to buy a dog. That little chihuahua and my mom saved my life. I was in deep depression with plans for suicide. My mom convinced me to get a dog. She gave me comfort and companionship. There are two awesome kids that wouldn't exist if I hadn't followed my mom's advice."
16. "I had my MSG (Marine Security Guard) packet ready to go when I was a Lcpl in the Marine Corps. MSG are the Marines that work in embassies. It’s one of the reasons I joined up. Well I had a girlfriend and she pleaded with me not to go. She begged me to stay with her. So I chose her. Threw the packet away and we got married that week. She would later cheat on me [...] and we have been divorced for the last seven years. But that’s not the part that changed everything... She gave me my first son. That boy changed everything in my life. My perspective on life and how I go about living that life. He’s the reason I left the military and became a teacher. Most of my life choices since his birth revolve around him. I was super lucky I received full custody of the little man. He continues to improve my life to this day. There are days I look back to that day and wonder how life would be if I sent in that packet, but I quickly dismiss those thoughts. I wouldn’t change shit."
17. "I had just broken up with my GF, and realized I had no reason to stay in my city anymore. All my friends moved away, so I said 'Fuck it, I'm traveling Europe' I got my passport, had all my plans set up. Then on Father's Day, I got a text from my ex: 'Happy Father's Day.' It was a picture of her ultrasound. For about an hour, I had a dark thought. 'I could run... I could go to England and just disappear, kid be damned.' But that went against everything I was raised to be. So I decided to stay, got back with my ex and had a son. I'm a single dad now with a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old. I'm glad I stayed, I could not imagine what life would be like without them."
18. "Breaking up contact with toxic people. Including a father and a sister. Should have done it 20 years ago. You don't owe your family anything. You can leave whenever you want. Just because you are related, does not mean those are good people. It's your life, please act accordingly."
19. "Not having a baby when I was 17. Would have ended up with a raging idiot (my ex) in my life forever. Today I couldn't even tell you what province he lives in... if he lives at all. Pro choice all the way!!!"
Do you have a story of making a single decision that changed your whole life? Let us know about it in the comments!
Dial 988 in the US to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.