The first thing that jumps to my mind is when I had a round of electroconvulsive therapy. The decision to do it, the preparation, the procedures, and the aftermath. I have never felt closer to death than I did for those two weeks, nor have I ever felt that kind of pain after waking up. I was ready to kill myself by shock #5.

Breaking up with my girlfriend a few years back.

Yes, that sounds really petty and silly. You have to understand a few things. First, she was not just my girlfriend but also the best friend I'd had since 8th grade. Second, she was the first (and only) girl I'd ever actually been romantically involved with. Third, she unknowingly suggested that we "take a break" the same day I learned that my mom had breast cancer. Fourth, it ended up being a long, painful, and slow breakup as we tried to remain friends since neither of us really had anyone else. A few months after the initial phone conversation, she made the breakup ("dumping," I guess?) official and basically permanent... in the middle of a vacation our two families were taking together. Yes, it was a very long and awkward vacation.

Then we got engaged :P. About a year after that, after we'd both grown up a lot. Now we're happier than ever. So I guess it was worth it.

The last two lines surprised me as it turned out to be a happy story. :) Hopefully you two will continue to have an amazing relationship!

In retrospect, my life has been easy so far. I've had my downs, but nothing earth-shattering. I guess the hardest thing was that I decided to quit my job and move 120 km away from my family for a better job with a lower salary. Not everybody was thrilled with my decision, but my innermost family respected that and I'm quite happy with the decision so far.

Dealing with suicide then picking up the pieces and trying to move forward

Going to the doctor's office to hear how serious my husband's cancer was.

Having the gall to ask my features editor to fuck off and then resigning: Some people believe they have the impunity to get away with anything. I still remember that shocked expression on her visage and she practically went white. Thankfully, I did get an honorable resignation and completed my 1 year tenure;

I am in a better job...so far at least and I am glad that I made this decision. But wait that wasn't the hardest thing...the most difficult part was controlling myself from pushing that annoying toxic woman in front of a running train.

Ironically enough she also quit and our entire team was dimantled....lolz. And she left the country too....no kidding.That was possibly the result of me writing an open letter to the organisation incriminating her since she asked me to go off myself.

I'm somewhat of a hermit who's a bit fearful of being in loud, crowded, public places for too long... I even live in a city, but I don't go out unless to go to work or to buy groceries.

So the hardest thing for me was probably that time I kicked myself in the ass and went to Tokyo all by myself for a couple of weeks, a few months ago.

Probably something in the army, like some very long march on foot with full backpack and equipment, or the time we were training guerrilla warfare in the woods, and one morning we accidentally switched "socks" (or those pieces of cloth that are supposed to protect your feet on long marches) with another conscript. Too late to change them back. Yuck! It was quite hard to stop thinking about someone else's smelly socks in your feet.

I haven't shot anybody for real or being shot at though. But I have been in a 1 vs 4 (I was the 1) situation on street which was quite stressful, but in the end it was a rather stupid experience. It practically ended up us calling each others homos or something.

Oh right, I've competed in one real kickboxing match in my life, that was also something I guess. I even won it by points.

So I guess my examples are rather physical, than e.g. achieving something in the school, or coming up with a cure for cancer and stammer. Nor have I had very serious accidents or being hospitalized for a long time yet. I once stepped on a nail though, that has to account for something?

Forgot, yeah a couple of breakups hit me deep. Apparently I've come over them already since I almost forgot them.

School. During all my schooling I had no idea what could interest me. I randomly followed courses and managed, somehow, to get a technical degree in business and a college degree in economics. There is nothing worse than opening a book and study material that you really don't care about. Nothing worse.

Surviving through a really tired period with my sanity intact.

Deal with depression. I´m doing this since my chilhood and probably will until my death.

I'm not sure. Quiting a marihuana addiction was hard, but it's been all over now for ten years.
The other thing is living with a mental illness. It's an ongoing struggle that will probably last my whole life. Most difficult of it is accepting the world we live in, with all it's suffering. I'm too empathic, can't really feel joy until no-one in the world suffers anymore.

why would you do that? Makes no sense. Proposing to your GF is somehow reasonable and common but your wife? weird.

Interviews. Always the hardest thing to prepare and get motivated for and do :/

Getting my engineering degree, certainly. Did it in one of the hardest-to-enter universities in my country, and entering was one of the easiest parts.

And since then, I've been unemployed for an year. Though mostly because I found out too late that engineering was not what I really wanted. I'm about to try and find a job in it, though, so that I can at least pay for a post-graduation on something else.