I changed my life in 6 months — and this is how I did it.
Six months ago, I set out on a journey to become the best version of myself. To switch careers, build my personal brand, make new friends, build unshakable confidence, become the fittest version of myself, and run a half marathon.
Not everything went according to plan — but we’ll talk about that later.
I didn’t expect to feel like a completely different person in such a short time.
In these past 6 months:
- I switched career paths by starting a master’s program in a new field
- I grew my YouTube channel threefold
- I landed a new job
- I ran a half marathon
- And most importantly — I decided to finally bet on myself.
This is what made it possible:
Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back
There are many different types of fear, but the one I struggled with the most was the fear of failing — especially publicly.
I constantly battled this fear that if I got off track from the perfect path I envisioned for my life, everyone would see me as a failure.
What if I never reach my goals?
What if I never even get close to the best version of myself?
It felt like all the hard work, the sacrifices, the pain — would have been for nothing.
I was terrified of disappointing myself and convinced that I needed to have everything figured out — and that held me back from even trying.
For so long, I kept telling myself that I wasn’t enough:
Not smart enough, not pretty enough, not talented enough, not good enough.
I was my own biggest hater, and I was telling myself I would never reach my goals — before I could even try to reach them.
But let’s be honest — it gets really tiring to constantly talk down to yourself.
And here’s the thing:
You won’t get anywhere without trying.
The fear of never reaching your potential has to be stronger than the fear of failing.
So I started thinking about it this way:
In five years, will I regret not trying — or will I regret failing?
I started embracing failure.
Started seeing every failure as another stepping stone — another lesson I had to learn.
I started posting more YouTube videos, even if the old ones weren’t performing so well at that time.
I applied to so many jobs trying to find a way to work in the field that I did my degree in — and I got so many rejections.
I was bad at things on purpose — so that I could learn.
I forced myself to find friends and network by just going up to people — even though I am more introverted.
And I just went for all my goals.
I overcame myself by just doing things that scared the living sh*t out of me.
I refused to let fear hold me back from truly living — from becoming the best version of myself and fulfilling my dreams.
It doesn’t mean that I wasn’t fearful anymore — I still am to this day.
But it doesn’t hold me back anymore.
It just pushes me to do better. To be better.
Fear doesn’t make me doubt myself anymore — because fear is not a sign that you’re doing something wrong.
It shows you that you’re outside of your comfort zone.
And that you’re growing.
The goal is not to never have fears.
The goal is to feel the fear — and do it anyway.
Embrace the Cringe
Have you seen my first YouTube video?
I haven’t — not recently anyway — but it is probably cringey.
But you know what’s truly cringey?
Never trying.
Just hiding behind a screen, or behind other people’s backs — and judging others.
It’s easy to criticize and judge from the sidelines.
But it’s much harder to actually take a chance and put yourself out there.
To show the world that you are trying — and maybe not yet succeeding.
We all start somewhere.
My first videos were awkward — but they are authentic.
They were the first steps in my journey.
And I had to put myself out there in that potentially cringey way.
If I hadn’t embraced the cringe and just put myself out there — I wouldn’t be where I am today.
The most important thing of starting something new isn’t being good at it right away — it’s being able to get through the awkwardness, through the cringe-worthy moments, in order to move forward.
It’s part of the learning process.
And with each step, you grow more confident and skilled.
You might even start asking yourself:
Why didn’t I do this earlier?
Embrace the cringe.
Take that first step.
Make that first video.
Write that first blog post.
Start that new hobby.
You might feel awkward at first, but each attempt will make you better.
And one day, you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come.
And if you’re being held back by the thought that someone might judge you for putting yourself out there and for trying new things — just remember:
People only judge someone doing more than them.
You Don’t Need to Have It All Figured Out
I’m 22.
I have not one, but two jobs — while also doing a master’s degree.
And from the outside, it might look like I have life figured out — but some of the time, I still feel like I’m 17 and completely lost.
But maybe that’s okay.
Maybe we’re meant to feel this way.
We’re meant to question decisions — not just blindly do things like a machine.
Also — how boring would life be if we constantly had all the answers?
Maybe we’re meant to constantly evolve — to continually search for what truly makes us happy.
The reality is:
Life is messy and unpredictable.
You don’t always have a clear roadmap — and that’s perfectly fine.
It’s kind of fun knowing that there is some uncertainty.
That the destination might be more beautiful than we expected.
When I impulsively signed up for a half marathon right before New Year’s — I didn’t have all the answers.
Actually, I had no answers — just questions.
I had barely run before.
I didn’t know how to train properly, what diet to follow, how to prevent injuries.
I just knew I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could do it.
I started running — and I hated it.
I ran about 10 times in the course of three entire months.
And then I realized I had 9 weeks left to train for the race — which is not a long time.
My only option was to give it my all.
I scheduled my runs at 6:00 a.m. before work, or after work when I was already tired — and it was dark and cold outside.
There were days I wanted to quit.
My legs hurt.
I was absolutely exhausted.
And I doubted my ability to even finish the half marathon.
I kept going — one step at a time.
And on the big day, I did finish the half marathon.
With some issues — but in the end, I crossed that finish line.
But what matters most is not finishing the race, getting that medal, or the Instagram post.
What really matters is that I dropped the need to have it all figured out to start.
I just needed to take the first step — and trust that I would figure it out along the way.
And now, I can truly say that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Discipline Is the Highest Form of Self-Love
Four years ago, I moved away from my hometown to start university in a different country.
That felt like a new beginning.
I thought: Now I can finally reach all my dreams and goals — because my environment had changed.
But while changing your environment definitely has an impact — you are still the same.
Guess what?
I didn’t magically achieve my goals just because my environment changed.
I was still the same me.
And I was forced to realize that I was the one standing between myself and reaching all those goals.
I had some really bad habits.
But the one that held me back the most?
Letting the way I felt in a specific moment get in the way of the goals I had set months and years before.
If I didn’t feel like working out — I wouldn’t.
If I didn’t feel like studying — I’d procrastinate.
If I felt overwhelmed — I’d scroll on my phone.
My emotions were dictating my actions — and that was preventing me from making any real progress.
It took years to learn that discipline is the highest form of self-love.
It’s about showing up for yourself, even when you don’t feel like it.
It’s about honoring the commitments you’ve made to yourself.
And pushing through the discomfort — because you know it’s leading you to where you want to be.
The way I initially built self-discipline was by going to the gym.
I started consistently working out two years ago — and that was the first step in building a foundation of self-discipline that has positively impacted other areas of my life since then.
Initially, it was incredibly challenging.
I wasn’t used to pushing my body physically — or to actually sticking to something and showing up every day without excuses.
The gym became a place where I could practice discipline daily.
It was a tangible, measurable way to see progress and build healthy habits.
Each workout required me to push through discomfort, to ignore the voice in my head telling me to take it easy, and to focus on the long-term benefits over short-term comfort.
I started to see changes — not just in my physical appearance, but in my mindset.
I began to realize that if I could push myself through the challenges in the gym, I could apply what I had learned to other areas of my life.
You need to be patient.
And you need to show up consistently — even when you don’t feel motivated.
That is the only way to reach any meaningful goal.
And especially in the moments where you feel like giving up — it is so important to just keep going.
Those are the moments you show yourself that you put yourself and your goals first.
It’s about understanding that true self-love involves doing what’s best for you in the long run — even if it’s difficult in the short term.
If You're the Smartest in the Room, You Need a Different Room
Sometimes we are in such a rush to have answers — to figure it all out.
But the truth is: there is no endpoint.
You could spend years studying a subject — and there might still be things you’re yet to discover.
That can feel disappointing and demotivating at times — but it’s a good thing.
Not knowing everything allows us to grow.
We cannot become the best version of ourselves if we limit our potential by saying that we are “done” learning.
Around the beginning of the year, I had just gotten a new job.
My YouTube channel was finally taking off.
I was finishing my bachelor’s degree and starting a master’s in a completely different area.
And I had also decided to run a half marathon with no training.
I was scared sh*tless about having to learn how to juggle it all.
It’s safe to say that I learned a lot since then — and that doesn’t mean I don’t feel overwhelmed at times.
I still do to this day.
But that doesn’t hold me back.
It drives me to be better.
Being around smarter people doesn’t make me feel lesser — it makes me feel inspired.
It makes me push myself to be better — to learn more.
Because growth isn’t about proving what you know.
It’s about expanding what you don’t.
The goal is not to be the smartest person in the room.
The goal is to always be learning.
Always growing.
Always pushing to know more.
The goal isn’t to always have the right answers.
The goal is to keep asking questions.
To keep learning.
To always be open to new knowledge and new perspectives.
The moment you think you know everything is the moment you stop improving.
External Success Means Nothing Without Internal Peace
You can work out all you want.
You can have the best grades, be surrounded by friends and acquaintances.
But until you work on yourself — and you learn to love yourself — you’ll never be truly at peace.
For the last two years, I’ve been on that workout game. I love it.
But at the same time, I have to admit — despite the fact that I was getting closer and closer to having my dream body — something didn’t feel right.
Over the last 6 months, I realized that no amount of external achievement could fill the internal gaps.
The same happened in other areas of my life.
I would work toward a goal, give it my all, put in a lot of effort — and after reaching it, I did not feel fulfilled.
It didn’t matter that I was in a much better place than years ago —
Moved out of my hometown to another country, living in a beautiful city, surrounded by friends I absolutely adored.
But all of that never made me feel more complete as a person.
It wasn’t until I started working on my mental and emotional well-being that I began to find true peace.
So I did the work.
I started seeing a therapist.
Opening up about my insecurities, my fears, my doubts.
I began journaling.
Reflecting on my thoughts and feelings.
Really getting to know myself.
I started being honest with myself — in order to recognize the parts of me that were seeking validation, or were leading me to self-sabotage.
I went through those tough journaling sessions where you're just ugly crying on the floor — for no apparent reason.
The process wasn’t pretty — but it was effective.
Slowly, I started to understand that self-love isn’t about achieving perfection.
It’s about recognizing your worth — not because of your accomplishments, but because of who you are at your core.
So yes — work out.
Pursue your goals.
Surround yourself with amazing people.
But also take time to work on yourself.
To accept yourself.
To love yourself.
Because true contentment isn’t found in the external — but in the depths of your own heart and mind.
Did I Reach My Goals?
I did.
But that’s not the most important part.
In the end, it was all about the journey.
Fear, discipline, learning, and self-love — they are all interconnected.
Embrace the journey — with all its ups and downs — and you will find that you're capable of achieving more than you've ever imagined.
If you are also thinking about a new life , click the Apply For Residency button and let us help you.
Follow wihdaily.com for visa and immigration news.
Related
