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16 Times People’s Lives Did A Huge 180 And It Sent Shockwaves In Their Social Circle
Article created by: Gabija Palšytė
The beauty of having free will is that at any point you can decide to fundamentally overhaul your life. Is it beyond difficult? For sure! But if you find yourself disillusioned with your health, lifestyle, career, and choices, you can work to create a brighter future for yourself. Consistent, incremental effort is your biggest ally.
Some of the members of the r/AskReddit community opened up about the biggest changes that they’ve seen people make in their lives. While many of these stories are inspiring, others are the complete opposite. We’ve collected the most powerful tales to share with you. Keep scrolling to read them.
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#1
My own. went from drinking a 12pk a night and smoking weed every day. met the love of my life, had a kid and now I've been sober for 6 years.
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#2
I knew a guy in college who was a straight A student on track to become a doctor, but he was miserable and burned out. One day, he dropped out, moved to a small town, and started a woodworking business. He's now incredibly happy making custom furniture and says it's the best decision he ever made.
#3
My high school gym teacher went from being a health nut and bodybuilder to a professional pastry chef. One day he just decided he was tired of bench presses and protein shakes, went to culinary school, and now he runs one of the best bakeries in town. The dude gained like 50 pounds but swears he's never been happier.
#4
I know a guy whose daughter disowned him and wouldn't return phone calls or letters for 10 years. After he sobered up for a few years, his ex-wife let him come back into their lives. He ended up walking his daughter down the aisle, and is literally a pillar in his community today.
(I've seen the other kind of 180, too...but I'd rather think about the good ones.).
#5
My niece went from being a m*th-addicted felon who couldn't take care of her kids and bouncing in and out of jail to a respectable, reliable member of society.
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.
#6
My mom used to be a holocaust denier. I couldn't accept this. I took her to the holocaust museum, had her talk with Rabbis, and introduced her to lots of Jewish people. She has spent a lot of time with the Jewish community. She did a complete 180, now she can't believe it only happened once.
#7
I was raised in foster care after parents died. Emancipated at 17. 6 months later I was waiting in county jail to go serve 3 years in Texas prison. Got out and turned everything around. Made 200k last year and love my life.
#8
He was a law abiding, productive member of society, with a great career, home and family. Then one day he decided to go to the casino for fun.
2 years later he was a convicted felon with no home, less family and no career.
180’s are not always good things.
#9
From my own experiences :
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.
#10
My own when my wife and I got divorced. Changed my style, changed back to an old career path, and changed my life for the better. Nothing against my ex-wife, we just wanted different things. She’s doing well and so am I.
#11
One of my high school classmates came from a conservative Evangelical household and it showed. She was very involved with the Christian club on campus and wanted to attend a big Bible college in the South. She was also really homophobic.
Somewhere between graduation and now, she got married young. Her husband turned out to be an abusive POS. She left the marriage with their kid and moved back to the PNW and got a job.
Then she met her now-wife and now works for a pro-LGBTQ+ Christian fellowship while raising their kids. Oh, and she posts a lot of pictures of their chickens on Instagram.
#12
My aunt passed away after a short bout of cancer that was related to her weight(very heavy lady). Her son(cousin) was very large as well and decided to lose the weight. Lost 165 lbs over covid and now runs marathons. Complete different person.
#13
Old friend of mine was rootless and disconnected. She started feeding the homeless and found her calling.
I’m proud to have answered her first request for items for the homeless. I sent bundles of gym socks.
Now, she’s internet famous; her non profit is completely driven by donations via social media. She’s won several awards. She’s provided the connective tissue for many people to move forward. Biggest 180 I’ve ever seen.
#14
I gave up drinking, began daily meditation, 45-minute workouts, therapy, AA, regular sleep schedules, good nutrition, and to-do lists every day. changed from being a gloomy alcoholic recluse to a productive, albeit slightly melancholy, member of society. People have asked for help and made comments on how different I seem. It requires a great deal of effort and, more crucially, constancy. Furthermore, change is a gradual process. People seek out fast fixes. Achieving goals and making progress is incredibly satisfying. I started running six months ago, and I finished a 5K with almost 3000 runners in the top 8%.
Having done all of this, it is evident that I am not a complete moron. If there is no change, nothing happens!
#15
One of the biggest life 180s I've seen was with a friend of mine who went from being a high-flying corporate executive to becoming a meditation teacher. He was all about business, career advancement, and working long hours, living the stereotypical work hard, play hard lifestyle. Then, after a major burnout and a period of health issues, he took a break to recalibrate.
#16
Former friend used to live with his unemployed mother, was pretty overweight and didnt have a career or education for him going. Was also bullied at school. He taught himself programming, workes in the field now, has a girlfriend and makes quite a lot of money. And hes of average weight now, too.
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