What exactly passes as a success story/positive experience on here?

I mean, I could say I've had a success story today as one of my pimples has disappeared, but is it really worthy of anyone's time or praise? I think not.

So what do people actually class as a bona-fide 'success story' or 'positive experience' on this particular area of the site? Because from where I'm standing I can't see any real success stories.

Sorry to burst the bubble, but I can hardly get enthusiastic at Joe Bloggs finally building up the confidence to look at the girl who's been on his mind for the best part of two years.

Once again, sorry for sounding bitter but if these are success stories, then we are really in a bad way. (Me included. I'm no better myself).

Haha I think that if having one less pimple counts as a success story for you, then CONGRATS!

No one makes progress in one giant, astounding leap of character or attitude. It happens in little bits and inch by inch. So yeah, that guy who worked up the courage to see the girl he's been thinking about is making progress, and it is success...because next time he'll probably take another step, and then another...and eventually he's dating the girl. Little steps count!

----Steve

There are no real guidelines. If getting rid of your pimple is a success to you then that is all that matters and you are sure welcome to talk about it. I think Badjedidude covered it pretty well.

...maybe rising every time we fall? I agree with Confucius ( “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”), when thinking about my experiences, and have to admit that every mistake and failure can be transformed into a positive experience and become a success story, as long as we learn something from it. But that again depends pretty much on the individual and his will of change or success. :shy:
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I tend to avoid this section because I'm never sure what passes for one either.

My mom has been doing a little better health-wise the last week or so. I suppose that could count. It's not a "falling in love with the woman of my dreams and winning the lottery" kind of success story, but it's helpful to me.

Oh look. Real, actual success stories! They DO exist!!!

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=8111

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=8197

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=7862

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=7727

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=7414

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=7568

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=7894

http://www.alonelylife.com/showthread.php?tid=7775

These are just from the first page of the "Success Stories and Positive Experiences" forum. It's some VERY positive stuff. But none of it came to anyone like a bolt of lightening from the sky; we all had to work hard to achieve what we have achieved. Happiness and success is no one's 'due and proper', but it's by no means off limits to anybody. You have to make it happen for yourself. You may disagree, but I'm confident you can do it!

Once you do, be sure to post it here. We'd all love to hear about it!

Good luck!

If you're alive and making an effort to make your life better. If you're not only alive but living life then those are successes enough. There is no threshold, its all relative to each and every individual.

Tru dat.

----Steve

You know the old saying..it's not the finish line, it's the journey.
Ok...there's probably 5 differnent route I can take to the beach...they all have thier twist, turns and sceneries.
One is not better than the other...they're all differnent.I enjoy the drive going to the beach as much as being at the beach.

I hit a bottom the day I signed up on this site...I bascailly got sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I couldn't live like that anymore. Being in that state. I was very depressed and sueicidal.
I attempted suiecide before and never thought would I be in that state again. Clean and sober too...
Being clean and sober and hitting a mental, emotional and spiritaul bottom.
It was totally narly. I felt everything. and i felt kind of insane..lol
I knew my thinking was clear. Emotionally i was torn up

I've also been well before...I knew what is was like.
I've also read plenty of literature about hitting bottom. An old proverb of opportunity in chaso.
I got clean and sober decades ago...I've also experinced the roller coasters with lots of depression and anxieties.
I had foresite from within my own experince....
Never the less it still came down to. I had to want it...I had to want to live and love again...
Well...honeysuckle hitting bottom...I either dug myself a deep as hole or life on life's term was suckie...it didn't matter
I was still in a fucken pit of dispair. I accpeted that. I honestly accpeted the condition I was in. it gave me
a starting piont.

There's also a say in recovery...don't compair your recovery to anyone else's recovery.

One foot infront of the other....I climbed out of the fucken pit...baby steps...
It came in the form of people on here encouraging me to get out of my house for 5 mins each day.
That was a major fucken challenge for me were I was at ...becuase I staired at my door for days, stuck my
head out and ran back in the house...lmao

When you're in a state of depression...just dragging your ass out of bed is a sucess...
Priase yourself...even if it's the smallest thing that you think is insignicent.
Gettting out of a rut..will require more effort, energy...Once you get rolling, stay possitive.
If you get off track...just remember where you came from (yout bottom)...this will also encourage you to move forward
and see how far you come...give yourself a break and more credit...
You bascailly get into a habit of positive thinking..positive actions...It's not a magical cured or a quit fix.
It's a process of self motivation..whatever is sucess to you...is success to you. Stop waiting for other's approvals to live your life.

It took me over two months for me to go jogging or ride my bike everyday...
Even in jogging i had to take baby steps..it was a process of self discipline and determinations for me.
I wouldn't jog 1 mile at first...I had to walk it for a week...then I walked it and jogged it...Then I jogged
1 mile...I priased myself. I also knew I can accomplish things if I'm determind...In spite of everything...
becuase emotionally I still wasn't feeling well...I jogged it with tears in my eyes. At that piont in time
i wouldn't Jenni out of my mind...and I felt like a total fucken loon for being love with a dead woman.
Inspite of my depression, hurt, pains, anger...I jogged or walked forward. It was a process of me moving on
with my life...inpsite of everything. I push and made myself move forward.
What's a big deal with just taking a jog? It's just one foot in front of the other.

In the mean time...I met a lot of nice people on here. I even butt head with someone...yet
there moments when I just needed someone to talk to me about whatever...He was there for me.

I also had major trust issues. I had to learn how to trust people again...

The journey had been long with lots of twist and truns....

Okay...How is my life today. It's not perfect...but I came a long ways..
I have plenty of friends...there's love in my life. I'm well enough to work again.
I trust people again. I even wrote a song again a couple of months ago...that's something
I've havn't been able to do since Jenni died.

My daughter calls me all the time...She and I were saperated becuase her mother and I broke up.
I love her very much as she dose me. I build and work on our relationship.

My ex-wf aND I have a relationship today...I work on rebuilding that relationship.
She came back into my life. She reached out to me. There was a lot of hurt and pains
from our divorce...Today we can be friend and be loiving and kind to each other.
She loves me very much..

Onward I go...one foot in front of the other...it gets better.

Spare linked every thread I was thinking about, haha

There are some good ones here. If we can do something we havent been able to do before, and incorporate it in to our lifestyles, our habits, our daily routines, that's a success. Talking about it here lets us reaffirm them to ourselves. They are not moon landings; they are not monuments constructed to ancient gods. But many of them are certainly on par with running a mile in under nine minutes, or finally fixing up that old 50's Ford Pickup that's been sitting in the garage for years.

In the world of people who are lonely or have social disorders and anxiety issues, we are the everyman. And these are everyman accomplishments. They're our 9 minute miles and 50's Ford Pickups. And someday, they might lead us to our moon landings and monuments.

I cheered for Jesse when he posted about his weight loss. I pumped my fist and shouted 'Kick ass!' when Spare told us he had a girlfriend and spoke of finally getting back to school. And I will fully admit to crying manly tears when I read sammy's post about her journey. She did something very inspiring in comparison to the droning of day-to-day life. It was brave, and bold, and it paid off.

I cheered and cried because they're people just like any of us. At some point in their lives, to get here, they Googled something along the same lines as the rest of us did, because they were in the same rut as everyone else. To see their success means that we can find it too if we can break out of the cardboard boxes we have ourselves in to.


To me, they are very worthy success stories.

Brian's post says it all really

Brian said:

There are some good ones here. If we can do something we havent been able to do before, and incorporate it in to our lifestyles, our habits, our daily routines, that's a success. Talking about it here lets us reaffirm them to ourselves. They are not moon landings; they are not monuments constructed to ancient gods. But many of them are certainly on par with running a mile in under nine minutes, or finally fixing up that old 50's Ford Pickup that's been sitting in the garage for years.

In the world of people who are lonely or have social disorders and anxiety issues, we are the everyman. And these are everyman accomplishments. They're our 9 minute miles and 50's Ford Pickups. And someday, they might lead us to our moon landings and monuments.

I cheered for Jesse when he posted about his weight loss. I pumped my fist and shouted 'Kick ass!' when Spare told us he had a girlfriend and spoke of finally getting back to school. And I will fully admit to crying manly tears when I read sammy's post about her journey. She did something very inspiring in comparison to the droning of day-to-day life. It was brave, and bold, and it paid off.

I cheered and cried because they're people just like any of us. At some point in their lives, to get here, they Googled something along the same lines as the rest of us did, because they were in the same rut as everyone else. To see their success means that we can find it too if we can break out of the cardboard boxes we have ourselves in to.


To me, they are very worthy success stories.

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Amen, brother! Well said!