I feel pretty fortunate that my lowest point wasn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things.

I was stuck in a dead end job that paid peanuts and was in a somewhat codependent relationship with someone who was not good for me. I also couldn’t afford to move out of my parents basement due to the crappy job.

Ultimately, I realized I had to make drastic changes due to being pretty miserable with my life. I quit my job and went back to uni for a more marketable degree. I worked my ass off to get good internships and ended up at one that turned into a full-time job that I’ve now been at for over a decade. My ex did me the favor of dumping me. I ended up meeting my now spouse at my career job. We bought a house, got a dog, have traveled to numerous countries, and saved enough money that work is becoming increasingly optional.

Overall, I just had to recognize that the status quo was making me miserable and starting to incrementally making changes to my life that would get me closer to where I wanted to be. Past me never could have imagined what was to come for present me, but by just taking one step at a time to improve things, I’ve found incredible happiness.