17 People Who Decided to Change Their Lives for the Better and Started From Scratch

Sometimes people can be completely and utterly unpredictable. We are all guided by impulses or by our intuition and we do things that, perhaps, we would not have done before. We need diversity of experience, adventures to explore, and to seek out and learn new things. Maybe that’s why, despite the uncertainty and fear of the unknown, there comes a time in our life when we all know we have to make sudden and unexpected changes.

Several Reddit users have told their own stories of change and reboot, and Bright Side wanted to bring you some of the most inspiring and exciting ones.

• 3 years ago I moved from London, UK to Alberta, Canada. Best decision of my life.
  
  London is a very lonely city, especially when you’re introverted. I never made any real close friends, and it’s so insanely expensive that even with a great job, I didn’t have much money left to go out and enjoy life. And I lived in a small, awful shared apartment where the only space I had to myself was probably a 20 sq ft room or smaller. It is an amazing city, but it didn’t work for me.
  
  Since being in Alberta I’ve made some close friends and I met the love of my life. I finally have savings and a realistic prospect of buying a house one day. I live in a huge, 2 bedroom apartment by myself. I live near the Rockies, so I do a good amount of hiking. I’ve been tubing and ice skating with friends. I started going to a new gym and during the first session had people saying hi. Not to mention it’s so sunny. The cold is extreme, but I will never miss the grey and rain of England.
  
  I moved here with a 2 week Airbnb reservation, $5,000 to survive off, no real plan, and no job prospects. Just the knowledge I could book a flight home if needed. Somehow it all ended up working out. © bo_radley / Reddit
• 4 years ago, I abruptly quit a job I had worked at for 7.5 years, that I finally had to admit was a dead end. I got a job at a lodge in a national park flipping burgers for minimum wage. I didn’t know a single person there when I moved. But it quickly led to traveling to amazing places like Alaska and making lots of friends from all over the world. The experience gave me the confidence to really pursue my career goals, and last year I finally got my dream job! Nothing good happens in your comfort zone! There’s nothing wrong AT ALL with being happy with what you have, and with having a more stable existence. It was the right choice for me, but maybe not for everyone! © tikimoose / Reddit
• I did this last year. Granted I stayed in the same state, it was terrifying and exciting all rolled into one. I quit my job without having another one. Sold my house without having a home. Packed everything my son and I owned and moved 3 hours away. Best. Decision. Ever. It made me feel like I could do it again if I ever wanted too. The world is so big, so it was empowering. I grew up in the country, lived in the same county for 31 years, and moved to the city. 3 hours away may not seem like much, but it was a huge change. © Hopeful_1130 / Reddit

• I did this 3 months back, shifted from Delhi, my hometown where I lived with my parents and brother, to Bangalore. I had been depressed for the prior 3 years. Worked at a very unsatisfactory job and did almost no work. Then in March of this year I almost got married to a woman I barely knew and quit my job. I was jobless with no money and having panic attacks every day. Months later I did get a job, but the pay was minimal.
  
  One fine day, 8 months later, I fought with my brother and I had had enough. So later that night I packed some of my stuff, booked my flight to Bangalore, and quit my job. After 2 months of struggle, I got a new job with almost thrice the income. Rented my own 2 bedroom apartment all for myself. Threw out all my old clothes and got new ones. Started learning boxing and lots more.
  
  It feels like a dream. I don’t know how it will work for others, but I think it is worth a shot. © ishan28mkip / Reddit
• I did this a year and a half ago. Best thing I’ve ever done. Moved from Western New York to Arizona! It was tough at first with trying to get on my feet. But it’s easier to do than most people think. I believe most people don’t do it because of the “unknown” and because they are scared of change.
  
  For me, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I have a really good paying job. The best paying job I’ve ever had, actually. And the first job I’ve ever had that I enjoy going to. I’m 34 so that’s saying something! And to live where I live, views of mountains, beautiful weather... It’s just a dream come true. © ibjimig / Reddit

• Circumstances pushed me to have a new life. I lost my job and my savings were only going to last less than one month. So I left and took my boyfriend with me. We volunteered on farms in exchange for a room and food.
  
  We worked in Vermont first on this gorgeous 40 acre farm that had sheep, cows, chickens, and bees. Then we decided to drive across the country to Oregon to work on another farm. Then another farm in Arizona. Then my boyfriend proposed and we got married in Las Vegas. Then we both found amazing jobs in Oregon again.
  
  A year ago I was a bartender and working 2 side jobs to make ends meet. I was barely surviving and I literally worked every day. I worked 50 plus hours and still didn’t have savings or medical insurance. It was exhausting.
  
  Now, I’m working in a field I always wanted to get into. I married an incredible man. I have health insurance, and even a savings account. Also, since we didn’t have many expenses, we used our stimulus checks to invest and we turned those checks into $20,000, and counting, in profits.
  
  We were scared to leave, we didn’t know if we could make it. We were scared to invest our money, we didn’t think we could turn a profit. We kept being afraid of change, but if we had given in to our fears we would be back home, miserable, broke, and jobless. I’m glad we left. © advthjudarv / Reddit
• Geez, after reading some of these comments this is exactly what I did! I was 24, wasted college getting a degree I’ve never used, working a dead-end grocery store job, and living with my parents. Started dating this 30-year-old woman with a 9-year-old kid, which was crazy to me, even now. After dating for maybe only 6 months or so, she told me she was moving to Arizona for a job and she’d like me to go with her.
  
  Taking a look at my life at the moment, I decided to say yes and here I am 15 years later, we are married with 2 of our own kids, careers, and home-ownership. Some rough parts at times, sure, but I wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe trying to meet her a little sooner in life! © denn2842 / Reddit

• 3 years ago I moved from the USA to Japan.
  
  Got a visa through a teaching company, but they completely changed plans on me as soon as I arrived. I told them that I was assured, before leaving, that I’d be living in a particular place, and would not be happy in place B. I politely declined their change. Took all my money, about $3,000, and went about searching for something else.
  
  After blowing almost all my money, I eventually met someone amazing who helped point me in the right direction. Eventually, I was offered a job after many, many applications and interviews, but I didn’t have a place to live (was living in a capsule hotel). After securing the job, I spent the rest of my money and maxed out my credit card on an apartment. It was a gamble, but I never had failure in mind. I spent the first month sleeping on my clothes until I had enough for a futon, then a bed. That amazing person who helped me and encouraged me to keep searching never stopped either, and is now my beautiful pregnant wife. I don’t think I can win the lottery again. © BikkuriMK / Reddit
• My ex and I packed everything we could into our jeep, plus our dogs, and left Florida for Maine. It went.... Hey, I hate it here, don’t you? Let’s move far, far away. One side trip to visit my parents, and about 35 hours of drive time later, we arrived to coastal Maine.
  
  Shortly after, the ex and I broke up... and life got really difficult and lonely. I was in the middle of a crisis and culture shock, having moved from Miami to small town Maine. I didn’t have a single soul here. I bounced around a few jobs, and some days I would go home and cry on my dogs because I was just so alone. I asked myself daily if this was the right decision.
  
  One day, I decided I didn’t want to be sad anymore. I’d gotten over the ex, and got a new job. The job was terrible, but there I met my now closest and best girlfriends. I started to save a little. I found a nice house with a big yard to rent. I got new furniture.
  
  April will be 6 years I am here, and though I struggled for about a year and doubted my decision..... sometimes hourly.... moving was by far the absolute best thing I could have ever done for myself. I left some toxic family, some less than ideal friends, and a state that I hate. Now my winters are spent playing in the snow with my dogs, and my summers are spent working hard and having fun with my friends. I have a job I love. I’m glad I stuck to my decision, despite the struggles I had. © DisGirlCanCookBro / Reddit

• I’m originally from Edmonton and left the cold for London. I’ve found the love of my life here and love the city and European getaways. I’m not sure I could move back, although I do miss the hiking and nature. I actually really get on well with the English though, love their sense of humor, and sharp wit. Definitely don’t miss tipping culture!! © ImpostersPosterior / Reddit

• I moved from a big UK city to Australia 9 years ago. I was really struggling for money before I left. I now have a really well-paying job and my family has never been happier. It was a real struggle to start with, but no worse than the struggle I left. Social mobility here is much easier. It really is the lucky country. © Stuey_7787 / Reddit

• So I got divorced in 2019 and had been planning and saving for a move since. I ended up moving from North of Denver, Colorado to Tucson, Arizona on January 10^th of this year. It was exactly what I needed. Rent in Colorado is through the roof. In Tucson, I have a great one bedroom apartment with brand new appliances and hardwood floors in a gated community. The same apartment in Denver would run at least $800 more than what I pay here. People here are actually really friendly. It was a little off putting at first because I wasn’t used to it at all. In Colorado people don’t talk to each other and are usually snarky when they do, but I’ve had really nice conversations with complete strangers in Tucson. I’ve also already made a lot of friends and I’m dating a beautiful woman who also just moved here. So far it seems like moving to Tucson was exactly what I needed to reinvigorate my life. © slappy_mcslapenstein / Reddit

Why did you make the decision to start from scratch? What was your experience like? Would you want to do something like this or would you do it again?