So how did your decade go?

Soldato
Joined
23 Jul 2009
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14,083
Location
Bath
It's been a good decade for me. Notable events:

Moved to Yorkshire

Started and finished an 8 year career in sales, learned a lot, gained a lot of confidence and made lots of friends along the way. Everything from great bonuses, immense pressure, redundancy all thrown into the mix.

Finally conquered my absolutely debilitating anxiety after a decade of struggling with it

Had my daughter, my whole world

Moved back down south and started my current job, which I absolutely love

My absolute hero, my grandad, passed away, but I was there for him until the end and had made lots of time to visit him for the years prior so I wasn't wracked with guilt as I have been when losing other family members in the past. Go visit those people!

Got married

Nearly got unmarried after a bit of a screwup :o

Still married, thankfully.

All in all, its been a hell of a time with some serious major events, but all in a positive trajectory overall. Still has its ups and downs, but very few regrets
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Aug 2004
Posts
2,691
2010 got a job after a 5 year layoff.
2011 Dad died and a month later got laid off.
2014 got a new job.
2018 Mum died and 9 months later got laid off after 4 years. Whole company shut down. Lost my home of 33 years and had to move.
2019 got a new job, still ongoing.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Dec 2008
Posts
6,307
Location
Liverpool
I think like everyone the past decade for me has been another full of ups and downs with far too many being the latter!

I've gone from being homeless after leaving the ex and being suicidal to meeting the woman of my dreams, having another child and being fairly settled.

I've had a life changing injury through no fault of my own but am generally in a much better place emotionally and financially despite not being able to work.

Genuinely hope the next 10 years goes much better though!
 
Associate
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Posts
622
Location
Norwich
Still married to the same woman and still in the same house.

Got medically pensioned off due to angina and subsequent heart attack ( had 2 heart ops and have 17.5cm of stents) , had 2 hernia ops aswell in amongst them

Never been happier and my old personality is coming back instead of the one I had to show for 30 years whilst at work.

Very likely we'll move across the country and start a new life somewhere else
 
Associate
Joined
20 Mar 2012
Posts
2,308
Location
London(ish)
Realised I don't enjoy life much, realised I don't relate to other people, started drinking and smoking way too much, decided that I should either top myself or clean up my act, chose the latter. Gave up smoking, got my drinking down to sensible levels. Still don't really 'get' life, but I've learnt not to think about it (or not in a harmful way at least) these days! Career-wise I've stayed afloat and seen a reasonable increase in my salary, but I'd really like to find something that interests and inspires me while still paying the bills.
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Nov 2009
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4,387
Location
Baa
I haven't decided yet. For me the 10's are framed by two events that dominate my memory of the decade and skew the overall picture - losing my father in 2010 and my elderly mother becoming unwell and requiring care earlier this year.

It's tempting to write it off but I'm sure there have been good bits too, so I'll hold off for now.
 
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Soldato
Joined
26 Jul 2004
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3,268
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Thunderdome
I actually wrote a massive piece, detailing the last decade. However as I read through, I realised that although I'd found myself between a rock and a hard place, a couple of times, I did manage to come through in the end.

I'll save everyone the blow by blow account, suffice to say the last 10 years have been my defining moments; career-wise, relationship-wise and around my personal achievements. Sometimes you need to look back and see just how far you've actually come, to fully appreciate your efforts. This year I hit a new milestone, exceeding all my others and I didn't even realise I wanted it. February 5th 5:26am, I became a dad! Best thing I ever did.

Merry Christmas folks :p
 
Soldato
Joined
19 May 2012
Posts
3,633
i feel like mine has been a bit meh.

i finished uni, started working, now a dr in a hospital.
money wise, i have a fair bit.. but nothing exponential...
gym wise i went from being fat in 2010 to shredded and ripped on 2016/2017 to now.. just a bit disillusioned and lacking energy levels to get back there.
gaming wise its been great altho the first 5-6 years of the decade i did none.
travelling wise i didnt do enough.
relationships wise nothing meaningful.. just loads of girls, partying, one night stands.


idk. overall i kinda reflect and think its really important to think what would make YOU happy.. and to go get it... I feel like I've worked for things this decade and attained them which would make other ppl very happy.. but for me its kinda like meh. id rather have enjoyed life a bit more with varied experiences and travelling.. and a wider network of ppl i know... rather than of concentrated on professional, monetary duties etc.

i also wish i embraced my creative side a bit more and did some form of youtube for tech, gaming or the gym.
also wish i opened up and invested in my own gym.


meh lol.
 
Soldato
Joined
4 Mar 2003
Posts
5,247
Location
Herefordshire
Split with long-term “first love” girlfriend (ended badly!)
Graduated from University
Went 110% in my career (all I really had at the time)
Extensive global travel with the company
Met new partner
Took a management role, now into the higher tax bracket
Engaged to new partner
Had two boys.

Upcoming decade...still need to get on the property ladder, get married, back into a gym routine! Etc.
 
Soldato
Joined
15 May 2007
Posts
12,804
Location
Ipswich / Bodham
Great thread.

A pretty mixed decade for me. Personally, with a few very minor hiccups, it couldn't have gone too much better. Progressed from a manager to board director halfway through the decade, and as a team we've really driven the business forward and through significant, positive change. Married my long term partner in 2015, and my son has developed into a fine, healthy adult and is just looking at the third year of university now. Paid off the mortgage a few years back, and then remortgaged to buy a holiday home that's also rented really well.

Given that we lost my wife's grandad this year, I feel very fortunate to still have both my parents here. However, they - especially my Dad - are a shadow of the people they used to be. A botched NHS hip operation followed by mis-prescribed medication and altered / falsified records have left my Dad physically broken and both of them mentally damaged. They're still here, and they manage with a lot more support than before, but on bad days it pains me. But, they are here, and despite all that's happened to them they remain great parents to me and my brother and sister.

Ending on a positive, what happened to them inspired me to get myself into better shape this last year. I changed my diet and work behaviour (began taking a lunch hour to be physically active) and hit the gym three times a week, losing 3 1/2 stone since February. Looking forward to a better next decade, even though I know I'll lose at least one parent before it ends.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
21 Nov 2004
Posts
44,880
Finished PhD, started teacher training. Year of hell.

Got first job, bought first house.

Got dumped by long term gf, nearly destroyed me. A week later met my now wife.

Bought a second house, then a third.

Sold my first car and bought the AMG I had wanted for years.

Got new jobs, promotions, missed some, nearly went abroad for work, then at the last hour settled.

I had a lot more time for gaming at the start of the decade. I barely manage any gaming now.

Nearly half way through decided to stop quitting the gym periodically and go hard - can now nearly lift 600kg across deadlift, squat and bench press.

Oh, and the hairline is not what it was at the start of the decade!
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,506
Location
UK
Aside from 2014 I’ve had a good decade.

Professional:

2014 Got ousted from my job by shady CEO
2015 New job sees me promoted to no. 2
End the decade having helped grow it from 40 people to 300. Turnover increase sees us as 5th fastest growing tech company in the UK and winning a slew of awards including Queens award for export

Personal:
2011 Finally get divorce after years of being held ‘hostage’ by ex-wife
2012 Marry my soul mate
2013 Buy forever home
2014 Lose my father to cancer
2015 Get our first dog
End the decade with remaining friends and family happy and healthy and a great work/life balance
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Oct 2007
Posts
7,418
Location
UK
Met girl
Got engaged to girl
Decided to become a doctor
Completed med school
Bought dream house
Got a cat
 
Soldato
Joined
13 Jan 2004
Posts
12,706
Location
Leicestershire
In the last 10yrs I've gone from picking at a warehouse to finance analyst to taking redundancy to college to university to agency worker to becoming a therapy assistant.

Along those years I've passed motorbike test, been banned, crashed a lot, nearly broken my back, been to about 5 different hospitals, won races and championships motorbike racing, died a few times, suffered a severe head injury, lost years of memories, discovered I have acquired dyslexia and elements of bipolar, bought a house, passed my Cat C HGV license, cycled London to Paris in 24.5hrs, have titanium in 3 limbs, raised thousands for charity, managed and arranged a football team to play against Leicester City Legends, cycled up Mont Ventoux.

I've had a rough decade, but sometimes a fantastic decade. It's been tough.
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Aug 2009
Posts
3,844
Location
KT8
Came into the decade off the back of a semi-breakdown. Had worked myself into the ground for a growing firm which I'd personally kept afloat but succumbed to the pressure - my former boss walked away with £50m last year...

2010 - set up a subsidiary of a larger firm. Bought a flat with a mate. Had a great year.

2011 - found out I was working for megalomaniacs, tried to quit but got caught out by something.

2012 - met my now wife, quit that firm

2013 - largely dicked about being happily unemployed.

2014 - set up my company, worked by myself for a bit.

2015 - my girlfriend and I bought my mate out of his half of the flat, then I hired him. Then we started a large renovation on the flat.

2016 - a former colleague joined us, had a very decent spell at work

2018 - completed a bit of business that has established the firm as a leader in the market we work in, although we're still a small business. Hired staff.

2019 - big year. Had a kid. Opened a New York desk. Moved house. I think I'd been building up to the year for quite a while. Knackered now

Going to be a big decade ahead. Going to sell the flat next year to fund a huge renovation project. Plan to throw myself into work with the intention of massively paying down the mortgage, save/invest as much as I can, if possible buy a little place in the Lake District, etc. Would be great to have another baby soon, and have the option of scaling down work by the end of the next decade - if I plan things right, and get lucky along the way. I really should focus on my diet and health too in the coming years. No point working hard if you're not around to enjoy it.

Edit - whooooops... was trying to remember what I did in 2017. Turned out I got married :o
 
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