Mark Twain famously said "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." What was that day for you?

1. 8/24/2002. About a week and a half before I started fourth grade. I went to [Darien Lake](https://www.darienlake.com/) for the first time. [Predator](https://onarail.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_3506.jpg) was the only big ride I was willing/able to go on at that point, and though I was kind of scared, I had a feeling that I'd probably end up liking it. Well, by the time I crested the second hill, something just *clicked.* I became obsessed with roller coasters. They completely enveloped my life thereafter. By the time the next June came about, I asked myself "What would it be like if I rode a roller coaster I designed myself?" By the time I started fifth grade, I was convinced that it was my dream, my goal to design roller coasters. Fast forward to today, I've been on 60% of the roller coasters in the US and Canada worth visiting, and I got a degree in mechanical engineering a year ago for that very same purpose. Given that the industry is disgustingly tiny, opportunities are few and far between. Though I have made a nice amount of inroads (especially with my absolute dream company), my big break has yet to happen. Luckily, I have discovered a broader love of mechanical engineering in general throughout this process, so I will be okay with searching for jobs outside of the amusement industry as a stepping stone to what I ultimately want to do.
   — Tanks4me


2. Guys, he means the purpose you have found in life, not the reason your parents fucked and accidentally made you.
   — lolboogers


3. The day I realized that I could be a drug and alcohol counselor. As a son of an alcoholic and someone that had to bury 2 brothers and a few cousins due to heroin overdoses, this is something I can be proud of. If I can spend the rest of my life making sure no one has to go through what I experienced, I can die a happy man. EDIT: HOLY SHIT TOP RATED COMMENT AND GOLD!?!?! GODDAMN 3RD BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!! Don't tell my wife and kids though. And to the guy that broke my golden cherry: my sincerest thanks. Keep on keepin on my dude.
   — Rshockley42






4. There is this kid who went to my church, he was 13 and I was 20 but we got along well enough that eventually he called me his brother. I never had a brother so I took this title to heart. Last year his biological brother committed suicide and I drove 2 and a half hours from college to be there for him. He had held in his feelings for days until I got there and when I did he finally let them out. He just hugged me and cried; he needed me and I was there. That was the one moment in my life I knew for certain I had made a real difference in someone else's life. We are now each other's only brother and I believe we are closer than most biological siblings. Edit: Thank you anonymous benefactor for my first gold and for everyone's encouragement! I'd also like to say that my brother's family has taken suicide awareness very seriously since this happened and I know they'd appreciate it if I mentioned that it is OK to ask for help whenever you are going through a tough time. No one's life is without purpose, you just may have not found it yet.
   — SirGeoffreyTheBold


5. The day I talked my best friend out of commiting suicide. I was living in France at the time, and he was in England, so I couldn't get to him. Both of us suffer from chronic trauma-related mental health issues and have both dealt with suicidal ideation in the past. Over the phone I managed to convince him to try to throw up the pills and call an ambulance. I have never felt more relieved in my life than when he told me the doctors said he was going to be fine. He came out to France when he realised my relationship had turned abusive and that I was using drugs to cope. Saved me from myself and my ex and helped me move back to England and start my career in the field I had loved and aspired to work in before the abusive relationship took over. I'm now flying through the ranks on one of the most prestigious management schemes in the country. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him - either my ex or the drugs would have done me in. And he wouldn't be here if I hadn't talked him into calling the ambulance. It's been some time now. We both still have our ups and downs but our friendship will always endure. I was put on this earth to love and support that incredible human being who I am blessed to call my best friend. No matter where life takes us we still have each other's backs. He just finished his masters' dissertation, which he dedicated to me - because he said he would never have finished it without my support. He's going to Mozambique next month to start research for his PhD. I'm so proud of him. We don't see each other often because my career takes me all over the world. The last time I saw him irl before we said goodbye he held me so tight for ages and just said "some people are worth getting your stomach pumped for". And I told him that some people are worth going through withdrawal for. I love you, Ryan. Who says that soulmates have to be a romantic partner?
   — jazzlyz


6. Over 50 years on this planet and I still don't know why.
   — Mg-Read






7. The day I started volunteering in a retirement community. I knew I loved it the first time I started a conversation with a resident.
   — Bookwormgirl991


8. l created a preschool from the ground up. About 8 years after that, I had one of my teachers tell me (she's been with us since almost the beginning) that I'm really good at it. That she loves working for me and will never leave. In that moment, I knew that I had to try to open more preschools so that more people could experience the model I had created. In a few months I will finally have saved enough to buy land and build another location. Fingers crossed that it's financially successful or I won't be able to do it again and time soon. ;)
   — shanirae


9. ¯\ _ (ツ)_ /¯
   — corvettee01






10. Let me tell you the story. It was the 30th of April 2014, about 10 or 11 PM and I was 17 years old. I was sitting on my computer being bored, thinking of what I could do with my life. Then I noticed that I still had a leaflet from a few years ago somewhere from the police about career opportunities. I couldn't find it, so I just went to the website and looked into the requirements, the tests they do with you etc. and to my surprise - I filled all requirements and the tests seemed doable to me. I've always wanted to be a cop, but I kind of forgot about it the last few years because I didn't have what it took and I was also a fat, lazy piece of shit. But now I remembered how I always wanted to be one of them and I decided to apply. I looked on the apply page and it said the last possible date for applications this year: 30th April. It was the last day and I only had an hour or so left to apply. If I had found the page a day or even a few hours later, I would've been too late and I couldn't apply anymore. Who knows where I'd be now. So I quickly filled in my information and went to bed. In the morning of the next day a call woke me up. I heard my name and "police?" being said by my mom and I was instantly awake. My mom came into my room and handed me the phone. I talked to the guy and he said I'm very late but it still works but today is the last day for some sort of information meeting. (It was required to go there before actually applying so you know what you get into in case you get accepted into police) So I said sure, I'll go immediately. So I drove into the neighboring town and talked to the guy for a while and filled my actual application out. Fast forward to August 2014, I aced all the written and physical tests. I've been training and studying for it vigorously. A few days after my test I got an email, saying that my test result was very good so they can already give me the confirmation that I'm accepted as long as don't fuck something up. I was so happy and joyful because now I knew, it's going to happen soon. I watched documentaries and videos all day every day about police, I read in a police forum and talked with others about everything police related and I was very hyped. In January 2015, it was finally time to move out and make final preparations for starting police academy. I moved to Berlin, where my academy is, about 500 kilometers away from my hometown, into my very first own apartment. I enjoyed the next two free months and tried to get used to living alone. I also met some new friends who I met through the police forum who will also be starting the academy soon. Then the big day came. On 2nd March, 2015 I was in the academy and me along with 191 others were celebrated and handed our certificate and were appointed as police officer beginners/recruits/whatever you call it. Fast forward to now, 2.5 years later aged 21, here I am. Next Thursday, the 31st August is officially my last day in the academy and then I'll be patrolling the streets of Berlin FINALLY! I still love this job and I'm still as enthusiastic about it like I was when I got accepted and binge watched everything police related. Honestly, police is my passion. I don't think I'll ever love any woman as much as I love this job. Who knows where I'd be today if I came too late back then. Then I'd have to wait half a year. Maybe I'd have forgotten it by then, maybe I'd have found something else which I had to do. After all, I couldn't just sit around and do nothing waiting until I can apply for police again. But I'm definitely very glad that I was this lucky to come right in time to apply. This leaflet probably changed my life drastically. For those wondering, I'm from Germany.
    — pmaama


11. When I told my (now) wife I loved her for the first time.
    — beardybuddha


12. The day I held my firstborn. 46 yrs ago now.
    — ClassicNancy