There are people in this world who are naturally motivated, full of energy, and always ready to take on the day. For the rest of us lazy pieces of crap, most of life is avoiding all responsibility, ordering a pizza, and crushing the entire pie while bingeing a 10 season Netflix series. But as good as that sounds, it is unfortunately not the healthiest, most fulfilling lifestyle.
Lately, the men of Reddit are sharing what motivated them to change their lifestyle from a sloppy loser to an absolute health beast.
Reddit user mpchop asked : “Men who were previously living a lazy/unmotivated lifestyle, how did you get out of it and turn it around?”
And the responses will make you reevaluate your own lazy ass lifestyle.
Here are 16 of the best lifestyle-change motivation stories according to the people of Reddit.
1. Start small
“Start small. If possible, leave the environment you are lazy in. Create a new routine: Go for a walk/gym/bike/run/kayak/paraglide, even if for just 10 minutes, that prep time and effort will do wonders for you. The only thing you need to quit is the idea that you can’t do something better for yourself. The only panacea is to just do, and continue to do. Find something outside of your routine and make it part of your routine. Being lazy is a choice, so don’t choose it. You got this, we all got this.” –ImMoozezMalone
2. Simplify
“One step at a time, simple routines, exercise, cut the booze, eat better. You will be fine.” –Marrtincho
3. Discipline over motivation
“Up until the age of 25 I did exactly ZERO exercise of any kind. I had a shitty diet and ate a lot of junk food. Ended up overweight at my worst point. Then I broke up with a very toxic ex after a 3 years relationship (which definitely contributed). I had all this free time all of a sudden, I took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I’m not over exaggerating when I say that it completely changed my life.
I went from the zero exercise, to basically exercising 6 out of 7 days of the week – I do Jiu Jitsu 3-4 times a week, I do lifting to supplement that 3 times a week. On top of that I have a well-balanced diet that keeps me feeling good too. I’m 32 now and in the best shape of my life. Even had abs at one point, though they’re hard to maintain.
Here’s the secret that no one tells you, and this applies to any new venture. Don’t rely on motivation, it’s good to get you started but it doesn’t burn bright forever, hence why most New Years resolutioners quit after a few months.
Discipline is the word you are looking for, make it part of your routine as much as brushing your teeth before bed. There’ll be a point where it will actually feel weird NOT to workout or train. I went from the comically ‘lazy’ guy in my family to the guy everyone sees as the ‘fit’ one.” –trianglechoke89
4. Get revenge on yourself
“You need to learn to hate life to the point of needing to get revenge on your own existence.” –mxer1389
5. Therapy
“Suffering. I lost a lot. It flipped my world upside down. I struggled for a long time and more and more anchors kept getting added. Then I lost my dad. I started doing better but still was in bad shape. I hated the person I saw in the mirror everyday. So I started therapy again. Started eating better. Started working out. Then someone very important to me…actually the most important person I have left besides myself…recommended a book, The Power of Now. It all clicked. Started meditating at the same time I started reading. I’ve let go of the past. Stop focusing on the future. Instead just live for the moment we are in. For the first time that I can remember…I love myself.” –Buffalo__66
6. Get angry, be brave
“Anger. I was angry that I was broke, I was angry that I was un-hireable, I was angry that I still had to depend on my parents for everything, I was angry that I was fat, I was angry that I was depressed. I was in the store with my parents getting clothes because I hadn’t replaced mine in so long, and my mom walked up to me with a pack of underwear and was like “you need new underwear.” When she said this there was this family nearby that glanced at me, this grown man towering over his parents still being swaddled like a child. In that moment I felt like the smallest person in the world, here I was at 25 having my mom buy underwear for me because she had noticed how threadbare my jocks were. I was so embarrassed and so angry at my life that I vowed never to have her buy underwear for me again (yes seriously).
I realized I was stuck in a rut, I was in a comfort zone of no expectations with no ambition. I needed a kick, so I moved. I moved 1000 miles away to go live with my brother. Now my brother is a hardass, he does CrossFit, competes in triathlons and warrior races all while working as a high-level executive at his company. Annoyingly ambitious and driven. He bluntly said to me, “you are not living here for free, if you don’t pay rent you’re moving back in with mom and dad.”
He used the contacts at his church to get me an interview with a retail company, very low pay but enough to get by. I worked there long enough to know how much I hated retail, so I went back to school and got a BSc degree which I paid for myself (with loans I’m still paying back).
I’m now in London working as a software engineer. Sure I can’t afford things like houses or cars (not that I need one in London), but at least I buy my own underwear now. The only clothing I ask from my mom is a knitted scarf, because mom scarves are the best.
Look, my life is still not perfect. But it’s getting there, and it all started because I was so angry that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. It’s not easy, I won’t lie. I had to juggle work, classes, and study. And I survived on like 3 hours of sleep and 2-minute noodles every day. I had a breakdown because I failed a midterm in my first semester because I hadn’t yet figured out how to juggle everything. I ugly cried because my crappy car broke down and I had the equivalent of 30 dollars in my account and the city I used to live in didn’t have decent transport links to my job and to my campus so my brother helped me get it fixed. I had to sell off all my unnecessary possessions because I couldn’t afford rent, food, and fuel one month. Life is hard, but it’s survivable and manageable. You just have to be brave.” –Sco0bySnax
7. Do what you don’t like
“If you already feel miserable anyway, you have very little to lose doing more productive things you don’t like, that will benefit you weeks to months from now. And once you start being rewarded for your efforts, you’ll start feeling better.” –_TheSkyCloud_
8. Break life into small tasks
“That piece of advice about <5min tasks should be done immediately? Really works to spur you on to do more. At least for me anyway.” –monkeylegume
9. Quit drinking
“I stopped drinking. You always think you need some sort of addicting substance to live fully. Now I’m addicted to life.” –ilovefeshpasta
10. Get addicted to health
“Got divorced. Eat healthy. Joined the gym. I got a personal trainer. Then got the gym bug. Got addicted. Started getting fit. Lots of energy from supplements and microdosing. Life turned around. Ready to meet new and interesting people now!” –jon_mnemonic