16 Times People Shared Their Personal Victories, and It Made Us Smile From Ear to Ear

Sometimes life can get pretty overwhelming, and we feel like the odds are stacked against us. But even in times of great despair, we must always remind ourselves that it’s not too late to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again. Who knows, maybe the next time will be our lucky shot.

We at Bright Side are all about beating the odds and doing the impossible, so we decided to share these inspiring stories of 16 Redditors who went through thick and thin to get where they are now.

1. “After being a stay-at-home dad for 6 years, I started college alongside my son who just started kindergarten.”

2. “After 2 and a half years, I’ve reached my goal weight.”

3. “Born at 25 weeks, they told us she might not survive, and if she did, she could be disabled. Yesterday was her first day of school.”

4. “Just paid my fifth month’s rent since quitting my job for art. It’s possible!”

5. “Overcame a tough summer and leaving a toxic job thanks to my passion and faith in my art.”

6. “I started college the other day after being out of school for 6 years and never thinking I was capable of doing it.”

7. “After about 9 months of living in my car and a lifetime of unstable housing, I finally have a home to call my own!”

8. “A 5-year-old leukemia patient, all grown up, received her white coat today as a medical student at UVA. No words to describe my feelings about this miracle.”

9. “I used to be overweight. I started working out and today was the first day that someone noticed it and told me! I’ve never been this proud.”

10. “50 pounds down, 100 more to go! It took 6 months, but it’s so worth it and definitely made me smile today.”

11. “On my way to ENG 101, my first college class since I failed out and gave up on my degree 15 years ago.”

12. “4 years ago, I dropped out of college. On Friday, I graduated with both my associate’s and my bachelor’s. In 2 weeks, I start grad school! :)”

13. “From 287 lb (130.4 kg) to 152.5 lb (59.2 kg), I can’t imagine how my effort and determination made me go this far.”

14. “After 6 years of being bullied, I finally passed primary school and I’m moving on with my life. I feel happy like never before. High school, here I come!”

15. “I’ve been self-conscious of scarring and weight gain from medical issues, but yesterday I felt happy again. I am beginning to learn to walk again.”

16. “I have cerebral palsy, which has always made it difficult for me to jog. Today, despite my disability, I jogged 6.6 miles (3 km) and I couldn’t be more proud of myself!”

Which one of these stories inspired you the most? If you have a similar story, don’t hesitate to share it with us in the comments.

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