This post is probably the most emotional thing I’ll ever share on Reddit.

The first few pictures are from the house where I grew up with my mom. Single parent, middle class, small colony, small rooms and water leakage during rains. The kind of house where you grow up a little too fast.

Mumma did everything she possibly could for me. She somehow managed to put me in a better school even when it was expensive for us. I still remember feeling out of place there because most kids came from far better backgrounds. Later she pushed herself even harder so I could prepare for JEE because everyone around us was doing coaching.

I still failed my 12th!

But somewhere around that time, I realized one thing that my mom was fighting way harder for my future than I was.

I was always into editing, designing and making mashups, so I picked up freelance gigs wherever I could.

So I started working at 17 and somehow that journey later took me to Mumbai and I got opportunities that slowly changed my life.

After that it was years of corporate hustle from Mumbai to Bangalore to Gurgaon.

Eventually I took a huge loan and built a home for us and because of that responsibility, I stayed in corporate for years just to make sure EMIs were paid and savings were there.

At 26, despite the loan and all the risks, I left my job to follow my passion full time.

Probably the scariest decision of my life.

From starting work at 17 to finally reaching this stage, it took almost 10 years.

Almost 10 years of working, loans, risks and figuring life out! But somehow, things worked out :)

Today it’s me, mumma and our 8 dogs living in a house that still feels unreal to me sometimes.

Recently became debt free too. It’s not even about the size of the house, It’s the feeling!

The feeling that my mom finally has her own home after spending her whole life adjusting.

I know Reddit usually sees the final picture only, so I just wanted to share the before too.

If you’re someone who feels stuck right now, trust me, life can genuinely change in a few years if you keep showing up every single day.

TL/DR: Started working at 17 after failing 12th, spent almost 10 years freelancing and surviving corporate life across multiple cities, took a huge loan to build a house, left my job at 26 to follow my passion, and recently became debt free too.

The first pictures are the house where rain water used to enter. The last pictures are the home we built for ourselves :)

Took me almost a decade, but we made it :)