If you’re not sure if you’re on the right path in life, you’re not alone. It’s more common to feel that we’re on the wrong path, than it is to be sure that we’re on the right one. Could that be a good thing? Could the mere act of questioning mean that you’re on the right path?
There are countless times when we all feel that no matter how hard we’ve tried, we’re always struggling to reach our goals. That’s okay, because questioning where we are in life, where we’ve been and where we’re going, means we’re actively thinking and acutely aware of our potential.
Be grateful for the things you’ve already accomplished and show endurance for what you have yet to achieve — in other words, learn from your mistakes and keep striving and pushing forward.
Check out these 10 signs to help determine if you’re on the path to success:
1. You focus on the now
Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet real, so the moment you get stuck in the past or obsessed with the future, precious time is wasted today. This is not an easy notion to accept, so if you’ve managed to accept that your life is actually happening right now and every minute of every day, you’ve achieved a great deal. If you’re focus is on the present and what you can accomplish now, you’re doing better than you think.
2. You’re working to conquer your fears
Everyone hates to fail and everyone freezes up now and then — “am I good enough?” “am I smart enough?” The answer is yes! If you’re facing your fears and perceived short-comings, you’re taking the right step. No one is perfect and once you’ve realized that and have accepted your strengths and weaknesses, you’re heading in the right direction. Accepting that in order to be successful, we must overcome our fears, is a definite sign of success.
3. You’ve accepted that failure is part of life
To quote Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If you have that mind-set then you’re really doing much better than you think. Failure is part of life and if you have Thomas Edison’s attitude and see a setback as a new opportunity to start afresh, pat yourself on the back! You’ve made the choice to see failure as just part of the journey and not your whole story and that is to be admired.
4. You’ve replaced negative thinking with positive thinking
Our minds seem hard-wired to dredge up the past and worry over the future, so changing your outlook from negative to positive isn’t easy — it takes lots of conditioning.
If you’ve on the journey or have already arrived at positivity, you’re in good shape! Once we come to the realization that positive thoughts result in a calmer, more stable life, we wonder how we ever managed before — if you’re focused on positivity, congratulations!
5. Gratitude changed your attitude
Most negative people lack gratitude. Most people who let ‘failure’ define and hold them back, lack gratitude. If you’ve acknowledge all your blessings and are grateful for all you have now, then you’ve come a long way and you have every reason to be happy. Being grateful and thankful are signs that you’ve evolved and that in-and-of-itself means you’re on the right path.
6. You pay it forward
When we humans begin to think of ourselves as brothers and sisters, something incredible happens: we have an epiphany that we’re all just human and we’re all trying to make it in this world. As we become happy in our own lives, we have a need to ‘pay it forward’ and we endeavor to help others. If you’re helping people, animals, nature…any living thing, then you’re paying it forward. The desire to do good and to help and improve, means you’re very much on the right path in life.
7. You’ve stopped, blaming, judging and resenting
You’ve conquered the dangerous habit of blaming other people for your problems. You’ve found that you are more relaxed and contented when you’re not judging everyone around you. And, you stopped being resentful of people who you think are more successful than you. If you’re working on this part of your life, outstanding. If you’ve managed to overcome these three debilitating traits, you’ve in pretty good shape and you should again pat yourself on the back. Letting go of blaming, judging and resenting frees the mind, body and soul from toxic habits.
8. You’re doing what you want to do in life
Life is a journey and it’s by no means an easy one. If you’re controlling your own destiny, rather than letting other people’s opinions dictate your life, then you’re doing better than you think. Feeling confident and empowered is liberating and if you’re now at that place in life, you’re in better shape than you may give yourself credit for. A good attitude to have is this: when you can’t control circumstances, you can control the way you respond and handle them — and that is a very powerful gift.
9. You’ve got plans and dreams
Believe it or not, if you’re reading this article, it means you’re consciously aware of the need to always do a little self-reflecting. Wanting to do well and be on the right path isn’t enough — we must work towards our dreams and goals. If you’ve got plans and you’re always looking for ways to improve your life, then you’re doing better than you think.
10. You have a keen understanding of the concept of ‘happiness’
Happiness and success are not places you find on the map. Each of us has our own unique definition of what it means to be happy and successful. However, one thing we all have in common, is a need to get on the right path for our personal ideals — the first step is always the search for that path. Once you’re on it, a reality check now and then is a very good thing.