Someone on Reddit was describing how they finally decided to make a change. I don’t remember their exact words, but it was something like this:
I realized that I was in a hole. This is real life, not a movie. Nothing will magically happen, and my life won't just turn around. No one will give me a chance, and I won’t suddenly land an awesome job. No girl will look at me and fall in love while on a stroll. This is real. I've been waiting for something to happen that will change everything all of a sudden. Some life-changing event where I’ll suddenly become a responsible person and become the version of myself I dream of when I go to bed. Sure, some people had their lives turned upside down, like in movies or from that TED Talk. But… it wasn’t going to happen for me.
I'm here… in a dark tank filling with water, waiting for a hand to pull me out. But I realized that no hand is coming. I am alone, drowning. Only I can get myself out. It’s on me to save myself. Rather than hoping some external force will save me, I have to save myself. There’s no choice. Either I do something to get out, or I die. There is no third option. So, that’s what I did. I stopped hoping for things to turn around and did what I could to the best of my ability. I gave up on hope and did what I could. Every step of the way, knowing it’s on me. Nothing else. No miracle, no luck. It’s just me. This keeps me motivated.