5 Signs You're On the Wrong Path - podcast episodeI got a tweet from someone the other day asking me how she could tell, for sure, if she was on the wrong path in life. Here’s the quick answer: you just know. If you’re not on the right path, you will feel it; in the core of your being, there will be a sense that something is “off” or missing. It’s a gut thing more than anything else.

[powerpress]

The problem with the quick answer, of course, is that most of us have spent a lifetime trying to override our gut instincts in favour of being rational, reasonable and sensible. We’ve learned to tune out that inner knowing in order to please the people who are most important to us, and to fit in with the world around us.

How to tell if you’re on the wrong path

So here’s the longer answer: pay attention. Pay attention to how you think and feel as you go about your daily life. In particular, be alert for any of the following signs:

Sign #1: You’re living by proxy.

When you’re living by proxy, you’ve handed your power over to other people. You put a lot of stock in just about everyone else’s opinion and advice… except your own. Most of the decisions you make are actually made by other people – they choose where to go for dinner, they give you advice on what to wear, they told you what the best educational or career path for you would be, they tell you whether the person you’re with would be good for you or not. You’re no longer the captain of your own ship, and you’re letting other people call the shots in your life.

Stop living by proxy; take responsibility for your own power & your own life. Share on X

Sign #2: You picked the safe route.

You’re only doing what you’re doing now because you thought it was the safest, most sensible thing to do. You picked your field or your particular job out of fear – more specifically, out of other people’s fears. You’re not happy where you are, however, and you spend a lot of time wondering what would have happened “if”. . Most aspects of your life are governed by guilt and “should”s – you do what you do because you think you should do it, not because you want to do it.
Life should not be a struggle - image quote

Sign #3: You feel empty.

We all have off days, where we’re just not ourselves. But you seem to have more of them than most. It goes beyond simple tiredness… you feel drained, like you’re living in a void. You are constantly dragging yourself through your days and you’ll jump on any excuse for avoiding having to do what your do (hell, you almost look forward to being sick because it gives you a legitimate reason for not having to go into work). There’s an emptiness within you; an almost overwhelming, despairing belief that there has to be more to life than this.

Sign #4: You’re a clock-watcher.

The corollary to sign #3 is that you’ve become a clock-watcher; you spend your work days staring at the clock, counting down the hours and minutes until quitting time and wondering how the hell it can be possible that only five minutes have passed in the eternity since you last checked the time. You feel like you’re wasting your time and can’t see any meaning in what you do.

Sign #5: Your “friends” aren’t.

If all you hear are barbed comments followed by 'just kidding', you need new friends. Share on X

I’ve talked before about the importance of having the right connections in your life – the attitudes and perspectives of those you spend the most time with will rub off on you and affect your ability to succeed in life. And the people around you are not affecting you in a good way.

While you make time for them, they won’t do the same with you, or when they do, it seems to be in a double-edged sword kind of way; whenever you’re with them, they seem to go out of their way to say or do things that make you feel bad. Thinly veiled put-downs and barbed comments followed by a “just kidding” are the norm when you interact. These people are quick to point out all the reasons why the things that are important you would never work, and they’re slow to offer any kind of support or encouragement for anything you do, unless it’s something they’ve told you to do.

If you recognize these signs…

Do you recognize any of these warning signs at play in your own life? If so, then there’s a good chance that you are on the wrong path and it’s time for you to consider some serious soul-searching. Find some quiet time where you can be alone and undisturbed and try to reconnect with your own inner guidance once again.

Ask yourself what’s really important to you in life – not what’s important to other people in your life (no matter how much you care about those other people), and not what you think should be important to you. Figure out what’s really important to YOU then ask yourself if you’re living it. If not, you can start shifting yourself back onto your right path by finding small ways to add those elements into your life now. As you start doing this, you’ll find that a lot of these danger signs will start to fade, and you’ll begin feeling more in control of your own life once again.

photo credit: pixabay.com cc (modified by me)

Pin It on Pinterest

Vibe Shifting
5 Signs You're On the Wrong Path - podcast episode
Life should not be a struggle - image quote
1445 What to Do When You Can’t Decide What to Do
1813 What it Really Takes to Change Your Life
1521 How to Find Your Passion in Retirement
I Don’t Know What to Do With My Life!
1502 Stop Living for Someday!
Why You Should Never Retire
1430 Are Your Fears Really Yours?
Buy Mind Shifting
Buy Soul Shifting
Buy Simple Strategies for Stress Relief
Buy Simple Strategies for Mindfulness
Buy fearLESS
Buy The Positive Affirmations Handbook
Buy the Celtic Knot Coloring Book
Buy the Mystical Mantras Coloring Book
Share This