7 signs you’re headed in the right direction in life (even if it doesn’t feel like it right now)

Life has a funny way of making us doubt ourselves when we’re actually making progress. I’ve been there countless times, wondering if all the struggle and discomfort meant I was on the wrong path.

Turns out, I was looking at it all wrong.

After years of career pivots, from finance to teaching to writing, I’ve learned something important: the signs we’re moving forward often feel like setbacks. The moments that made me question everything were actually the ones pushing me toward something better.

If you’re feeling lost or uncertain right now, wondering if you’re making any progress at all, let me share something that might change your perspective.

Here are seven signs you’re actually headed in the right direction, even when it feels like you’re not.

1. You’re experiencing discomfort and challenges regularly

Remember when you were learning to ride a bike? Every wobble, every near fall felt like failure. But that discomfort was actually your brain and body learning something new. The same thing happens in adult life, just with bigger stakes.

As Dr. Susan David explains, “discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life”. I love this perspective because it completely reframes how we think about difficulty. When things feel hard, when you’re pushing against your comfort zone, that’s not a sign you’re failing. It’s a sign you’re growing.

I think back to when I first started writing professionally. Every blank page felt like torture. But that discomfort was teaching me resilience, improving my craft, and building the thick skin every writer needs.

If everything feels easy and comfortable, you’re probably not pushing yourself enough to grow.

2. You’re failing at things but keep going anyway

Thomas Edison famously said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. Easy for him to say, right? He ended up inventing the light bulb. But here’s what most people forget: he really did fail thousands of times first.

Dr. Angela Duckworth studied what makes people successful, and her findings surprised everyone. It wasn’t IQ that predicted success. It wasn’t social intelligence or even physical health. The single biggest predictor was something she calls “grit” – passion and perseverance for long-term goals despite failures .

The point is you’re failing but still showing up, still trying, still believing in yourself enough to give it another shot, you’re exhibiting the exact trait that separates those who eventually succeed from those who give up. Every failure is data, every setback is a lesson, and every time you get back up, you’re building the resilience that will carry you forward.

3. Your relationships are changing and some people are falling away

This one hurt when I first experienced it. As I changed careers, pursued new interests, and grew as a person, I noticed some friendships fading. At first, it felt like loss. Was I becoming antisocial? Was something wrong with me?

Then I discovered the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which tracked people for over 80 years. Their findings were clear: quality relationships are the strongest indicator of long-term health and happiness. Not quantity – quality.

As you grow, you naturally gravitate toward deeper, more meaningful connections. That pruning process where some relationships fall away? It’s actually a sign of healthy development, not loss.

I used to try to maintain every friendship, every connection, spreading myself thin trying to be everything to everyone. Now I have fewer friends, but the ones I have are real. We support each other’s growth, celebrate each other’s wins, and show up during the tough times.

Are you finding your circle getting smaller but stronger? That’s not isolation. That’s maturation.

4. You’re taking action even without feeling motivated

James Clear has this brilliant insight: “motivation often comes after starting, not before. Action produces momentum”. This completely changed how I approach my work and life.

We’re taught to wait for inspiration, to wait until we feel ready, to wait for that perfect moment of motivation. But highly successful people understand that waiting for the right feeling is a trap. They do things before they feel ready. They start before they’re motivated.

Every morning when I sit down to write, I rarely feel ‘inspired’. But I’ve learned to start anyway. And something magical happens: after a few minutes of pushing through, the motivation shows up. The words start flowing. The inspiration arrives fashionably late, as always.

If you’re doing things without waiting for the perfect mood, if you’re showing up even when you don’t feel like it, you’re already ahead of most people. You understand that feelings follow action, not the other way around.

5. You’re questioning everything, including your old beliefs

Growth requires us to examine and sometimes abandon beliefs that no longer serve us. If you find yourself questioning things you once took for granted, that’s not confusion. That’s evolution.

I used to believe success meant climbing the corporate ladder, earning more money, accumulating more stuff. It took years of questioning to realize those weren’t my values at all. They were beliefs I’d inherited from society, from well-meaning parents, from a culture that equates worth with wealth.

When you start questioning your assumptions, your beliefs, even your goals, you’re not becoming lost. You’re becoming conscious. You’re taking ownership of your life instead of living according to someone else’s script. This questioning phase, uncomfortable as it is, is essential for authentic growth.

6. You’re investing in yourself 

Whether it’s time, money, or energy, investing in yourself when resources are limited shows you believe in your future. You’re playing the long game.

If you’re choosing growth over comfort, education over entertainment, or long-term development over short-term pleasure, you’re making the kinds of choices that compound over time.

These investments might not pay off immediately, but they’re building a foundation for future success.

7. You’re becoming comfortable with uncertainty

Life used to feel like it needed to be perfectly planned. I wanted to know exactly where I’d be in five years, ten years. The uncertainty of not knowing used to keep me up at night.

Now I realize that uncertainty is where possibility lives. If everything was predetermined, if the path was completely clear, there would be no room for growth, surprise, or discovery. Learning to be comfortable with not knowing, with being in transition, with living in the questions rather than the answers, is a sign of tremendous growth.

If you’re okay with not having all the answers, if you can sit with uncertainty without panicking, if you’re learning to trust the process even when you can’t see the destination, you’re developing a resilience that will serve you throughout life.

The bottom line

The truth is, growth rarely feels good in the moment. It feels like confusion, like struggle, like everything is falling apart. But these uncomfortable feelings are often signs that you’re exactly where you need to be. You’re shedding old skin, breaking old patterns, and becoming who you’re meant to be.

These aren’t signs you’re lost. They’re signs you’re finding yourself. Keep going. The path forward is built one uncertain step at a time, and you’re already walking it.