Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Posted by PearlJamChick

Although I did it many, many years ago (nearly 20 years!), I think that becoming a vegetarian and living a cruelty-free lifestyle is the most important change in my life.

For one, I was an overweight pre-teen and hated how I looked and felt. It helped me shed the weight. But the real reason why I got into it was because I learned about how animals are treated on factory farms.

Because it was me making the change, and not the whole family, my mom made me go to my pediatrician and talk to him about what I needed to do to get the right nutrition. Also, my mom forced me to learn how to cook for myself, since 'this isn't a restaurant; you'll eat what I make' was her dinnertime mantra.

Being forced to see the doctor and learn how to cook made me passionate about learning where my food comes from AND about cooking techniques. Cooking is now one of my favorite things to do, and if not for making this change years ago, I don't think that I would care as much about cooking or food sources.

We don't eat processed food in our house, save for the once- or twice-a-year when I just NEED some Kraft mac and cheese Hey, everyone has their vices.

Bottom line is, I feel good. I feel healthy. I *am* healthy. This is the only body I will have and taking care of it is important to me; what I put in it and how I treat it. I take a lot of pride in living this lifestyle and knowing that I'm not contributing to the meat and dairy industries is satisfying to me. DH is also a vegetarian, and while that wasn't something I initally looked for as a quality in any of my partners, it sure is nice!

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Stop hanging out w toxic people

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

hoppin' on the paleo bandwagon. i feel a ton better.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Message edited 12/17/2012 10:29:22 PM.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Moving to Canada so we could get rid of all our debt. This will give us SO many more opportunities to live the life we want and give our kids a better life as well. It was worth sacrificing my career for.

2nd would be eating better and losing weight. I'm setting a better example for my kids and my husband and I are healthier people because we've made such big changes in our eating (and drinking ) habits.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Learning to drive five years ago at 32. I lived, worked and attended all my schooling including college in NYC and I never needed it. Now we live in the sticks and I'm glad that I have a license.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

leaving my last career that was making my life miserable
running/exercising which has made me feel much better than when I never worked out
visiting Medjugorje which sparked my faith which I now take much more seriously than I used to

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Joining Crossfit.

My trianer has helped me build strength, confidence, and generally just improved my life with his presense.

I am trying new things, learning so much, and getting the results I have been desperate for for years.

I love it. It not only changed my fitness level, but carried over to other areas as well. It has totally changed me.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

I left a fifteen year career in teaching- for many reasons- and while I'm still trying to find my footing as a freelance writer, life is so much better. I don't have to get up at 4:30 to catch a train, I can help my daughter get ready for school, and I am pursuing something I've always wanted to do. My life has balance, even though I'm working an awful lot.

Also, it's been almost a month and no one's called me a *****.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Posted by ctrain1124

Posted by Beth

I think for me it's not 1 thing- but the evolution of me taking control back over my life and not settling for anything but what I want

after 3 years of being married to an abusive drug addict and feeling like I had no control over my life I got the courage to leave - what happened after - to put it nicely was a bad lifetime movie

I was 31, $200K in debt and basically unemployed- and single

at this cross roads I decided to take the harder path - paying off the debt, getting my real estate lic and vowing to never be in a bad place again

it wasn't easy- I struggled, I almost quit- I lived on a friends couch, went back to bartending, but I never lost focus- it was that determination that got me here- 3.5 years- basically debt free, one of the top realtors on Long island and totally in control of my life-

so when life threw my another HUGE curve last year of being type 1 diabetic- I didn't just sit back- I researched, I started to understand about food and excerise in a new way

I recently became vegan- which gave me back the control the diabetis was trying to take from me

now instead of looking at pizza and saying I CAN'T eat that- I say I DON'T eat that- and it changed my life and my health- my AC1 is almost that of a non-diabetic and I take less medicine after 18 months- when the doctor swore I would need more by this point

You are just so awesome!!

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Learning to say no to people and demand that family members treat me the way a person should be treated.

What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

Having the courage to leave my job and become a SAHM. It is terrifying still and very hard, but I don't miss it AT ALL. This year the "small" city I worked in will more then likely try to riot, and will be #1 on the FBI's most dangerous city list...again. I do miss the money and the fact I was good at my job, but seeing what I saw is enough to change you forever. I didn't want to be that person anymore. Having kids already changes you and makes you nervous, but when you deal with the exceptions to a lot of rules you start to think the worst about everything. A headache is meningitis, a fall must mean a bleed, driving will surely end in an accident and death. I just couldn't do it anymore, and slowly some of those memories are fading away.
The 2nd thing was accepting that my step father and I had a bad relationship, but that we were working on it, and when he died we were in a good place. For years I let people belittle that and make me feel bad that I missed him. I don't anymore...good or bad he was in my life for most of my life and as I get older I realize what we are missing with him, but most of all what my kids will miss. Accepting that it's ok to miss him and to talk about him has helped me grieve his death.

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

After 6 years of working and not attending college. I decided the time was now and went to colleged. At that time I worked full time, attended college full time and interned 10 hours a week. It took me 5 years to obtain my BSW due to the schedules of classes. I value education like no other now. I worked my tush off and I am so proud to be a graduate. I am planning now to go back in January to earn my MSW in one year!

Besides that, I try to do one good deed a day ever since a Lent promise I made myself a few years ago.

Today's good was..helping an old lady out of car service while the driver watched like a moron. It made me feel so good knowing how much I helped her as she said "God bless you". These things are so priceless!

What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?

I had been a legal secretary in NYC for well over 20 years, working for the same not-so-nice boss. I ran his nine-attorney law firm, and worked crazy hours, and then came home and worked some more. It was chaos. During that time, in 1998, I discovered I had some hidden talent when I faux finished my new bathroom. I was quite shocked it came out so good, as it was the first time I ever piccked up a paint brush. The contractors told me I was better than any professional they had seen, and I was hooked! Fast forward to September 11, 2001. As I was leaving my midtown office at 11 AM to walk 70 blocks to spend the night at my daughter's dorm at Barnard College, my boss asked me to take work to do at the dorm, since I was leaving early!!!!! That sums up what an inconsiderate person I spent 20+ years with, and at that moment, I decided I had to take a leap of faith and see if I could somehow make a living out of decorative painting. Although it felt like financial suicide at the time, I am so thankful and happy to say that I have been blessed to make a career out of my passion. While it is certainly more difficult and challenging to be your own boss and worry where the next job is coming from, I've never had any real regrets. I've even been voted Best Artist of Long Island by readers of The Long Island Press for the past three years, so I'd like to think I'm doing something right!! I always tell everyone it is never, ever too late to try and live your dream. At least I can never say, I should have ...

Re: What is the most important/effective change you've made in your life?