For me, it was learning English. Although I do make a few mistakes here and there, I’m mostly perfect on it.

The amount of resources you have access to dramatically increases when you know a universal language. I say dramatically because it made me realize how much my native language lacks when it comes to certain topics. The most obvious one to me was tech and computers. Everybody knows how to use Windows but there are very few resources about stuff beyond Windows. It’s actually sad. [insert sad face here]

    • Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml
      7·
      5 months ago

      A “friend” started a company and hired me. It was pretty fun for a year. Then it became pretty bad — real bad. I quit on the spot after a verbal abuse session where I demanded more respect and my “friend” / boss literally said “no.”

      It’s been a little over a year since I quit. Lived in my car for some of it, otherwise took odd jobs here and there where I could rent a room temporarily.

      I’m at the end of this insane journey — starting a new job in a couple months. It’s been rough but I still think it was the right decision. Curious to see myself in 6 months to a year.

      Anyway, felt like this was somewhat similar to your case.

      • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
        3·
        5 months ago

        It’s rough as hell, friend. I’m glad you’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. With a little hard work and a lot of luck I was able to buy a house a few years after I went through the homelessness thing. I hope the same for you.

    • Elorie@lemmy.world
      2·
      5 months ago

      Same. I thought life would be worse so I stayed married longer than I should have.

      Turns out being unhappily married is far more lonely than being single…by a LOT.

      • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
        3·
        5 months ago

        Oh hell yes it is. I didn’t stay too long (I’m notorious for leaving anything I’m unhappy with) but it was only good for like the first couple of weeks. I honestly should have known better but I was 18.

        And for all the folks saying that getting married is the best thing to happen to them, I only have one thing to say: good! I’m glad it’s working for you and your spouse!

  • janNatan@lemmy.ml
    8·
    5 months ago

    I’d say so far, my best decision has been saying “ok” when an old coworker offered me an interview at a new job.

    OP, do you mind if I ask what your native language is?

    • Quintus@lemmy.mlOP
      2·
      4 months ago

      I apologize for the late reply. I was really busy these few days.

      OP, do you mind if I ask what your native language is?

      Well I do not mind. It’s Turkish.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
    6·
    5 months ago

    Probably having kids. Got pregnant at 23, went back to school, slowly, got a much better job when I finished. Do not think I would have done without having the kids, and they have brought so much joy into my life.

    But I always knew I wanted kids so not sure that counts.

    Wearing a very slightly alternative outfit to the mall in the 1980s may actually have saved my life. I was so alienated at school, for a lot of reasons, and falling in with these slightly older punks who looked after me at shows and just generally got me into that scene really made me feel I had a place - I wouldn’t say it was wholesome by any stretch but without that group I am pretty sure I would have just died, probably from anorexia as a teen. Good and bad came from it but I am very, very happy for that day.

  • CaptPretentious@lemmy.world
    6·
    5 months ago

    Going to college.

    Honestly there’s a lot of things I know all contributed to where I am. But I’m fairly certain I would have a far worse life if I hadn’t gone to college.

  • Resol van Lemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    5 months ago

    Leaving Facebook, and Reddit, and Twitter X, and Instagram, and… well, quite literally everything except YouTube.

  • foggy@lemmy.world
    4·
    5 months ago

    Moving. I was in my mid 20s and I lived in a city with all my friends.

    Really struggled with mental health. Felt like all my friends hated me. Turns out they were just mediocre friends.

    Packed up and moved, solo.doing way better than I ever woulda done in that situation, I think.

  • pH3ra@lemmy.ml
    4·
    5 months ago

    Going to therapy.
    I found out the reason I could’t sleep anymore was deeper than just being stressed out during a particular time frame of my life, but it was the last ring of a chain of bad (but apparently “normal”) decisions that started a long time ago.

  • lattrommi@lemmy.ml中文
    3·
    5 months ago

    Making new year resolutions and actually following through with them until i have succeeded. Each new year, if i completed my previous year goal, i will spend some time thinking about what i could do to best improve my life. i also very carefully word the resolution, so i am not able to ‘cheat’ in any way.

    I started off by doing something i saw as a joke. the resolution was to watch every episode and movie of star trek, star wars and dr who. After accomplishing this goal (after 3 years) i realized that making the goal specific is more important. a vague goal that says “do better” in some way is bad. it is better, for me, to aim for a reasonable and achievable goal.

    For example, “losing weight” is a bad. if i never stopped losing weight, it would be worse than if i never stopped gaining weight. if i make the goal “get to, then stay within 180-200 pounds”, it is a good goal. (for my height, this is a healthy range).

    i started doing this in 2006. since starting i have quit drinking alcohol, quit illegal drugs and reconnected with family members i lost contact with, during the time i was doing the other two.

    the most recent goal i made, in 2020, is actually the opposite of my first goal: quit watching tv and movies, quit playing videogames and educate myself as much as possible, until i get a college degree (this is difficult. i have developmental disorders) or buy a house. since they are harder goals than before, i gave myself a deadline of before 2030 begins.

  • space_of_eights@lemmy.mlNederlands
    2·
    5 months ago

    I started running some 20-odd years ago. It helped me get stability and self-confidence and helped me get my shit together.

  • spittingimage@lemmy.world
    2·
    5 months ago

    At the risk of repeating what others have posted, getting together with my wife. She’s smart, financially responsible, and we influence each other in positive ways. We’ve been so much more capable as a team than either of us was separately.