#TransformationTuesday #TurningPoint #LifeChangingJourney
Have you ever found yourself in a place where you felt completely stuck and hopeless? Maybe you were jobless, overweight, and broke, and you didn’t know how to turn things around. Trust me, I’ve been there, and I know how overwhelming it can be. But I also know that it’s possible to make a change, no matter how impossible it may seem at the time. In this article, I’m going to share with you my personal journey of turning my life around from being jobless, overweight, and broke, to finding success, health, and financial stability.
## From Jobless to Successful Entrepreneur
### 1. Taking the Leap
When I found myself jobless and struggling to make ends meet, I knew I needed to make a change. I took a risk and decided to start my own business. It was terrifying at first, but taking that leap of faith was the best decision I ever made.
### 2. Embracing Failure
Starting my own business wasn’t easy, and I faced countless setbacks and failures along the way. But instead of letting them defeat me, I used them as opportunities to learn and grow. Embracing failure was a crucial part of my journey to success.
### 3. Persistence Pays Off
It took time and hard work, but eventually, my business started to gain momentum. I was able to turn my passion into a thriving career, and I haven’t looked back since.
## Overcoming Obesity and Finding Health
### 1. Changing my Mindset
Being overweight was a source of shame and frustration for me, but I knew I couldn’t let it hold me back any longer. I shifted my mindset and began to see my health journey as a positive, empowering experience.
### 2. Finding Balance
I made small, sustainable changes to my diet and exercise routine, focusing on balance and moderation rather than restrictive fad diets. This approach allowed me to gradually lose weight and improve my overall health.
### 3. Creating Healthy Habits
By consistently prioritizing my health and well-being, I was able to create lasting habits that have transformed my body and mindset. I now feel more energized, confident, and empowered than ever before.
## Rebuilding Financial Stability
### 1. Budgeting and Saving
When I was broke and struggling to make ends meet, I knew I needed to get my finances in order. I created a strict budget and made a commitment to saving money wherever I could.
### 2. Investing in Myself
I recognized the importance of investing in my own skills and education, even when money was tight. I took courses and sought out opportunities for personal and professional growth, which ultimately paid off in the long run.
### 3. Building Multiple Streams of Income
Instead of relying on a single source of income, I focused on diversifying my revenue streams. This not only provided me with financial security but also allowed me to pursue my passions and interests.
In conclusion, turning my life around from being jobless, overweight, and broke required a combination of courage, perseverance, and a willingness to take risks. It wasn’t easy, and there were many obstacles along the way, but I can confidently say that it was all worth it. If you’re currently in a similar situation, I hope my story has inspired you to believe that change is possible. Whether it’s in your career, health, or finances, there is always a way to turn things around and create a better future for yourself. It’s never too late to start your own transformation journey. 🌟 #LifeTransformation #SuccessStory #BelieveInChange
I’m divorcing him…
If your unemployed then you have the time to exercise and get in shape. Search on YouTube for workout videos and start doing them. That’s two problems sorted.
Next look into free courses and do one that you like the sound of. Then start applying for jobs in that area.
Health, self-love, and hustle are the keys to going from broke to tailored.
Job came first after a lot of realizing I need help. Then I got in therapy and started working on the other things. Still working on the overweight part.
My kids were little and in school and day care was very expensive. I had no real skills to make enough to pay for daycare along with rent and all the other bills a single mom has.
One day I was talking to my sister and she was saying how her house was a mess and she was too busy to clean and how her house really needed *A Womans Touch.* I said that would be a really good name for a housekeeper business. So I started one!
This was back in the 80s before internet, but I made flyers and took out an ad in the local paper.
I was able to make my own hours, and home when my kids got out of school. Word of mouth got me many more clients and I had a full plate. Working hard all day, I lost the weight pretty quickly.
I did not make a lot of money because my shorter hours, but I made enough to be comfortable.
One huge one (I fail at) is stop buying out. So expensive and nutritionally horrible. A thermos will keep the coffee you want hot so you don’t have to buy it. Bring a salty and sweet snack. So not to horrible, but settles the craving till you can eat at home. Also give intermittent fasting a try. Really works. Look up Delay, Don’t deny.
With a lot of work, and sure as shit not overnight.
I never got my diploma, so I started by taking GED prep classes, then eventually getting, and passing the test.
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I still had no money, and couldn’t change the fact that no local places were hiring, no matter how many applications i sent out. the boomer method of “just go and shake hands with the manager” didn’t work anymore. I got a job as a pet sitter for a year the next town over, and eventually, quit and started my own pet-care business to pocket more of the income. I still didn’t make enough to move out of my parents, but I made enough to squirrel away and start to pay my own expenses. This was from 18 to 23.
Eventually I started applying for jobs outside of my hometown because I just wasn’t getting anywhere with trying to get work where I lived. I didn’t have the right connections, or the right background, I finally landed a job in a city two hours away and took it. I had to spend a lot on moving/driving, scrimp and save to do it, but I managed it. I moved out at 24.
For weight loss, I started limiting what I was eating, but not to an extreme diet, or fasting or anything like that. just had biscuits/health bar for breakfast, a small pb&j, carrots/apples etc for lunch, something with noodles, or rice/basic chicken for dinner, but got better at cooking so it didn’t all taste like garbage eventually. tbh i was also poor and had a limit on what i could buy.
I still had little ways of cheating so I didn’t totally kick my sugar addiction to the curb, like getting a tub of little gelato on the weekend, a big ol chocolate bar to eat slowly. I still eat out. I made small changes, a twenty minute walk after work, drinking tea, an apple, or even chewing gum before bed, when i craved a fat chocolate bar or bag of chips. I know it’s “not healthy to eat before bed” but not all people have the same body/brain, and for me it worked great, and sure as hell beat giving in to the worse cravings.
I eventually made friends, got a roommate so my costs of living weren’t so horrendous. I still don’t make a lot of money now, but it’s a work in progress.
It’s a lot of small changes that build up to bigger ones. But don’t give up on yourself.
I got my CDL, and it got me out of poverty within a couple months after a lifetime of poverty.
I finally got, after 42 years of dieting, a gastric bypass.
I started an emergency fund.
I wish I had done all these things 25 years earlier
I started living like I’d already solved those problems and was currently living my best life. Skinny me wouldn’t be devouring a sleeve of Oreos in bed while scrolling social media and feeling bad about myself, so I stopped doing that. Career success me probably got her job networking, so I started networking. Wealthy me knew paying off debt and not mindlessly spending money without a budget work keep me poor.
I pretended I was already living the life I wanted, then started making choices that better version of me would make once she had what I wanted. I started 2024 with a 5 mile hike this morning, because that’s what future me would do.
It worked. I lost weight, I’m not broke, and I love my job. Turns out, future me had some things to teach me about where to get my dopamine and why social media was unconsciously keeping me in a perpetual state of anxiety. Future me had all the habits I wish I had, so I became her.
I quit drinking, got a get well job (coffee shop), got a dog to walk with, eventually got a better job, walk everyday, make double what I was at the coffee shop after 2 years.
Literally went store to store in my area and personally made them take my CV, until finally someone gave me a chance in a pharmacy. Then I put all of my anxiety, insecurities and bullshit aside and made small goals that I had to work for and took shitty situations and people on the chin and focused on just doing the best I could for my job. Not even a month later I got promoted to Pharmacy Assistant. During that time gym came secondary, I went 3-5 days a week and even if I felt dead tired I’d be in there for 30 min tops. Was rough because some nights I was exhausted but after 20 min I was wide awake and had energy. Weightloss came with breaking the cycle of depression and getting out of the house
Become a dog walker! The more dogs you walk, the more money you make, the more steps you get in a day. Plus dogs are like free therapy
Focused on building a routine. Started walking a lot, applied for a ton of jobs, made getting healthy a priority and everything came together. As far as the broke part, cut everything out of my budget that was not essential and saved as much as possible until I was back on my feet.
Incremental life changes sustained over time
Job:
I got my MBA while working full time and part time. When I finished it still took two years to land a career job, but literally 1000s of job applications later, and working 4 jobs at a time- I landed my career job.
Overweight:
After slowing down- ie going from 4 jobs to 1 job I started a health journey. From therapy to specialist I have check myself out, and tried to address hanging alignments not just weight. Therapy helped with motivation. ENT helped my crippling sinus problem- ie nose surgery and prescriptions. ONGYN – removed the teratoma (tumor on ovary)…. Currently working with Nurologist for migraines.
It’s easier to eat right and exercise when you can breath through your nose, don’t have back pain, though am working on migraines still.
I’ve lost 30lbs and still going.
Broke:
Technically I’m still broke. But only broke-ish. I have two cars, house, two dogs, a cat, oh and a husband. I don’t have much in the ways of saving and am swimming in some debt. BUT I’m investing a ton- into my husband. He is in nursing school so I consider it a heavy investment. I make enough to not qualify for financial aid, but small enough that we struggle with each tuition payment. It’ll pay off in the end though.
Sometimes you just have to become so fed up and uncomfortable with yourself to where your back is against the wall. I ask myself all the time “is this what you want?”
It took years but I had to shift my mentality. I was not seeing the results I wanted with the life I was living, and as I thought things were getting better I subsequently, also got my heart broken and that was the final straw that broke this camels back. It motivated me to take control over my life and now I’m happier than ever.
I got a stereotypically male blue collar job in a position I had no idea existed that keeps me moderately active all day and I only eat between 11am and 7pm. I make most of what I eat from scratch and try to stick to high fibre and high protein foods
I didn’t.
Get a job at the YMCA
I took a six month contract in a different field than I was looking for at the time. That job turned into permanent employment and an onsite gym was one of the perks of the job. (A year before I’d applied for a job where they kept a list of qualified candidates for a bit because they hired a ton of people for jobs requiring similar skills)
That happened 10 years ago, and I know I was spectacularly lucky, but maybe you’ll get similarly lucky, OP.
I’m in the transition phase. Just got my first paycheck, so I can pay January rent now!! Still working on the overweight thing… but pieces are finally falling into place. Unemployment was horrible, but I have learned a LOT about budgeting and I was able to start an exercise routine, where my old job made me too exhausted to do so.
I was unemployed for 3 months, and applied to about 40-45 jobs. Make a habit of applying every day; it’s tough right now for everyone. I started having panic attacks from the boredom/ existential crisis. My therapist was very validating, as well as my partner. Hang in there!!! It’s only temporary, as long as you don’t give up!
Shift your mindset! Also, please look into whether there are any health conditions, disabilities, or mental illnesses that require therapy for you to shift into a positive mindset. For good mental health, your body needs to function properly. Therefore, a healthy body and mind will help you appear confident, fresh, and energetic, aiding in decision-making and performing well at a job. Don’t lose hope, as all women come across challenging situations in life.
I used to dismiss the advice ‘fake it till you make it,’ but it’s the only thing that has kept me going. Cut down on things that don’t serve you. Work on your self-perception before anything else and know that you deserve to be worked on. You don’t need to make these improvements to validate your existence to anyone else but purely because you hold yourself at the top and respect and worship yourself. You deserve to be seen, heard, and live, and people will love you for who you are when you take steps toward loving and taking care of yourself. Just the fact that you’re asking this question is a huge step towards self-reflection.
Job: I had a nervous breakdown and was out of the workforce for YEARS. In my career, the dirtiest word you can say is burn out. I just keep putting in applications until someone finally understood that I just needed a chance.
Money: I’ll always worry about money, but when I went back to work, I decided I needed a “fun fund” just for me. When I say fun, I’m talking vacations, big splurges. I have 10% of my pay direct deposited into my fun fund. It adds up fast and I never miss it.
Weight: I’m 51, I’m always going to be plus sized. I just wake up each morning and make the best decisions I can for my body. I don’t beat myself up over my weight because I’ve done that for a lifetime and it’s not helped I just try to make good choices and forgive myself if I mess up.
Moved across the country! Best thing I ever did! Went from uneducated, unemployed, broke, and having no friends, to gaining employment, completing a traineeship, and now working in a job that I never ever considered in my past life but turns out I’m actually really passionate about. I have money in the bank and I’ve made some amazing friends along the way. I truly believe that moving out of my hometown was the best decision I made. I literally reinvented myself and I’ve never been happier.
Still broke but, I stopped eating junk food and bread on a regular basis. Focused on fiber and protein, avoided carbs and sugar, but not completely. Walked for 30 minutes to an hour everyday. Found a job, paying my debt off now and going to start saving soon.
Choose one issue and focus on that first. When you roughly get a handle on that one, attempt the next issue. Small steps.
Exercised and applied for jobs. Ate healthy, ate less. Made sleep a priority.
Applied for jobs until I found one. Started an exercise/diet program. Saved money instead of spending it.
Easier said than done, I know, but those are truly the basic steps.
Job:
I was unemployed for about 9 months and eventually changed my focus. As I’ve posted several times, I have a Theology degree which is shit for getting jobs. So I applied “outside the box”. Got a temp job as an assistant. Eventually they offered me FT employment. Proved myself. Climbed the ladder.
Weight:
Calories in must be less than calories burned. That’s how you lose weight. It’s not magic, it’s numbers. Download the MyFitnessPal app to track your calories. I also like the Chloe Ting workouts online (they’re free)
Broke:
If you spend more than you make, you will always be broke and in debt. Change those habits. Get a budget. Spend LESS than you make and use the rest to pay off debts and save/invest.