26 People Who Decided to Take Matters Into Their Own Hands and Succeeded

It certainly feels awesome to see that your efforts are finally paying off, regardless of whether you have finished a big project at work or reached your gym goals. It should not be a secret that the key to success is to genuinely enjoy what you’re doing. It’s easy to recognize when someone puts their whole heart into their craft or various hobby.

1. “Finished sewing my wedding dress!”

2. “January 2021 to present: decided to make the changes needed to get healthier at the start of this year.”

3. “I made this. I tried to combine 5 paintings.”

4. “The birthday cake my wife made for our son”

5. “My Halloween costume with my dog”

6. “I made my own orange juice with backyard oranges!”

7. “I’m a rescuer for a raptor rehab, and I got the call for this guy in the middle of me dyeing my hair.”

8. “I attempted to make this copycat cake for my birthday. I wouldn’t say I nailed it, but I’m proud of it.”

9. “I made this sweatshirt out of a blanket I got at my local thrift store, and it’s probably my favorite thing that I’ve made so far.”

10. “I made a phoenix entirely out of Taco Bell hot sauce packets.”

11. “I handwrote out the script to Jurassic Park.”

12. “I live in a van, and this is the interior.”

13. “My husband is so proud of his little ’80s arcade that he set up in our basement.”

14. “I made this little guy to scare my husband in the morning!”

15. “I made this. Currently trying to navigate the world as an artist and hoping one day I’ll have a booth!”

16. “A small portrait I did using this ballpoint pen”

17. “I made this portrait out of Legos.”

18. “I need someone to appreciate this... My wife was unimpressed.”

19. “A couple’s costume done right”

20. “Lost 132 lb in 12 months. I’m just so much happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

21. “8 years ago, I got into trouble. I struggled before I found a job. Today, all my hard work paid off when I bought my first car!”

22. “My first Christmas as a single dad — I did my best and my daughter enjoyed herself, I think!”

23. “A desk I made out of 100% recycled materials for my school technology class”

24. “First and last Sub-Zero cosplay that I made — never stop doing what you like.”

25. “Not really able to afford eating out, so I made a fine dining meal for my family. Their joy and the way these turned out just made my week!”

26. “I made matching shirts for my grandson and myself.”

Do you have any recent accomplishments — big or small — that you want to share with us? Post your stories or pictures in the comments, we’d love to take a look at them.