10 Uncomfortable Signs You Need To Make A Major Life Change

Etienne Boulanger

1. You’re not passionate about what you’re doing.

No matter how many times you try to convince yourself that you’re eventually going to love the job that you have, you know deep down that it’s never going to happen. You’re only doing it because you don’t want to letdown the people who believe in you. It has become your responsibility to put other people’s happiness before yours. You care more about their criticisms than the voice that’s living inside of you.

2. You’re desperate for a change.

You don’t make a change, so you wait for it. You’re waiting for the right time when you have enough bravery, enough money, enough maturity. You’re waiting for something big to happen, some sort of sign that tells you it’s okay to jump. You keep making excuses about how you’re not yet ready to change lanes and take a different route in life. You’re scared to take a risk because you’re afraid to face the unknown. You deliberately ignore the truth that in order for you to gain a huge reward, you have to be willing to sacrifice your comforts in life.

3. You feel stuck.

You can’t recall how many times you’ve said to yourself that you feel suffocated where you are. There’s nothing around you that’s giving you the inspiration to keep going. The only reason why you choose to stay and not leave is because you think you don’t have a cushion to fall back on. You endure the pain of your reality because you believe that you have no option but to live with it. What you don’t realize is that you can actually make bold decisions in your life – it is only you that’s holding you back.

4. You can’t find connections with the people around you.

You don’t feel like you belong with the people that you see every day. Despite the strenuous efforts you’ve done to build strong relationships with them, you always end up realizing that you don’t have a common ground with them. It’s hard for you to align your interests, beliefs and goals with people who are already satisfied with the life that they’re leading. And you know that they aren’t the ones who can help you reach your fullest potential.

5. You haven’t found your ‘home’ yet.

You can’t find magic in the city where you live in, no matter how hard you try. You know you’re meant somewhere bigger and brighter, but you feel paralyzed to make a move. You’re not sure whether leaving is the right thing to do. You’re frightened that you’re going to fail once you leave your comfort zone. But you’ll never know what’s out there if you won’t take the first step out of your door.

6. You can’t wait for the day to end.

You’re always calculating how much time you have to wait before you can go home. You spend the whole day pretending everything is normal when in fact, you don’t feel good on the inside. You feel trapped and suffocated in your situation. You constantly daydream because that’s the only way you can escape your reality.

7. You aren’t happy.

Your soul is empty and you don’t even need to make so much effort to try and find out the reasons why. Because you already know the answer, which is: you simply aren’t happy. You can’t force yourself to smile when your heart feels dead. You can’t urge yourself to reach out and have small talks with others when there’s no one around you whom you can trust. No change of weather, words of encouragement, and kind gesture that can make your dissatisfactions in life go away. You’re aware that it’s only you who can ultimately make yourself happy.

8. You barely live in the present.

You wonder what your future looks like. You imagine the kind of friends that you will meet. You fantasize the job that you wish to have, the workplace that you want to see every day, and the design of the apartment that you want to crash in at the end of the day. But as soon as your reality taps you in the shoulder, you quickly become impatient to see your future and you wish you can fast-forward the time.

9. You think about quitting a lot.

You play different scenarios in your head about what’s going to happen when you walk away from everything and everyone that contributes to all your stress in life. You plan about the career path that you think will fit perfectly for you, the amount of money that you need to earn to survive, the city where you will feel like you belong. When quitting keeps popping up in your head, that’s when you know it’s time to leave.

10. You’re leading a life that you don’t want.

You can feel in your bones that the story you’re writing for yourself is just so wrong. You can already see that you’re only wasting your time living a life that you’re not proud of. You can taste the bitterness of how things are going to end. You can hear the voice in your head that tells you it’s not going to work out. You can smell the defeat getting stronger and stronger with each step that you make. And you can no longer deny that embracing change, with your arms wide open, is the only thing that can save your life. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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