1. You literally feel uncomfortable.

It’s a sure sign that you are experiencing a period of change if you actually encounter some physical, emotional, and/or mental discomfort. When you’re floating along in the same old stagnant state, it feels better. It’s familiar and easy. The challenge is to embrace the discomfort because you know that it means something necessary and ultimately positive is happening.

2. You realize things about yourself that you could never see before.

Suddenly, through meditation, journaling, self-study, and whatever else works for you, revelations appear unbidden. Problems that puzzled you for years unfold before your eyes and you can’t believe you never understood before. The magic of changing for the better lies in the unraveling of the tangled webs of your life. It doesn’t feel great. Sometimes you see the ugliness in yourself too… but there’s no better way to initiate growth.

3. You gradually shift your entire perspective on life.

It might happen more quickly than you realize, or it might take an excruciatingly long time. Either way, it’s a transformation that you need in order to progress as a person. Whether you feel skeptical or excited while it’s happening, in the end, it’s a positive development. You’ll be quite different but in a wonderful way.

4. You suddenly understand the need to shed certain people.

This is often the most difficult element of growing – ridding your life of things, places and people that no longer serve you. You might’ve actually outgrown them long before you realize it, but didn’t want the discomfort of being honest with yourself. It’s tough to end friendships. You don’t intend to hurt anyone, but you also can’t keep living a lie. You need a different kind of energy in your life, and if someone isn’t committed to their own growth, it just won’t work.

5. You no longer want any sort of toxicity around.

When you grow, you begin to understand that you have to let go of negativity and poisonous thinking. You’ll do anything in your power to erase it from your life, including changing behaviors and dynamics that held you down for years. You finally see that there’s no time to waste when it comes to living correctly.

6. You have a tough time with those who do not understand your evolution.

It’s inevitable that some of the people close to you will have difficulty understanding how much you’ve changed. Those who care about you and want to see you succeed adapt along with you. Unfortunately, sometimes when a person begins real growth, others get fearful and jealous. It could inspire resentment or even anger in friends and family. You have to be strong enough to understand and also to detach.

7. You sometimes find it painful to sit with your thoughts.

What’s most important is that you take the time to listen to your inner voice and what it’s trying to tell you. It won’t always feel good, or right, or normal. This is part of the price of growth – staying in the discomfort until you understand what’s going on and why you feel that way.

8. You realize that the easy path is almost never the best path.

This isn’t to say that you have to struggle against the odds all the time. It does mean that you see that simply going with the flow because it’s convenient will not bring you what you truly want. The point of evolving is to gain clarity about what moves you. Once you understand what you need, you can effectively formulate a plan to move in that direction.

9. You start to take risks and force growth upon yourself.

The strange thing about personal development is that you begin to crave it once you experience how wonderful the end result feels. You learn to enjoy the discomfort because it means you’re leaving the rut you once felt you’d never escape. You get excited to go inward and explore the depths that once terrified you. It’s wonderfully, strangely exhilarating.

10. You finally understand that life is a constant journey, not a destination.

It might be unnerving when you realize that you’re never going to get where you thought you were going. There’s no actual end game. There’s only learning to live mindfully in the here and now. It’s not about achieving some perfect idyllic existence. It’s about appreciating every little thing that happens along the way. It’s scary, but it’s also freeing. There’s no “point to life” except the journey itself.