10 Signs You Need a Life Change

Do you dread waking up in the morning, feeling anxious, depressed, or maybe even burnt out? Those might be signs you are ready for a new chapter.

I often see unfulfilled people not because they are not ambitious or hard-working enough, but because they are working hard in the wrong direction.

How do I know? I was one of those people.

I am very ambitious and was determined to become successful in my consulting job in London, and I did. But the further I moved in that direction, the more signs of not being on the track were popping up.

My life ticked all the boxes. I had a great job at Accenture, advising Fortune 500 CEOs on strategy and innovation. I worked with smart people, went on lots of international business trips, and had a great paycheck.

The pressure was high, and it started affecting my health and other parts of my life.

I was stressed, lost my sleep, it was very hard to stay in shape.

I could only see my friends and family once or twice a year during my holidays and the job I didn’t feel like what I was meant to be doing.

For a long time, I ignored those signs. I was convincing myself it’s just a phase — winter, hard project, temporary health issue, [insert your thing].

But when I didn’t want to wake up in the morning anymore, something needed to change.

Did I need to push it this far to realize I needed a change? I wish I didn’t.

Here is a list of warning signs you can check yourself against and avoid repeating my mistakes.

10 signs you are not on track in life

1. You don’t feel excited getting up in the morning anymore

2. You often experience the ‘Sunday night blues’ dreading getting back to work on Monday

3. You often catch yourself thinking, “What’s the point of it all?”

4. You feel like a hamster in a wheel trapped in your 9–5 job

5. You know there are people out there living a fulfilling life, but somehow everyone around you lives a life like yours and you think you must be stupid wanting something else

6. There is a career or a hobby that excites you, but you feel it’s too late, expensive, silly to change your life track now that you’ve already invested so much time and effort into your career

7. You’ve been in a demanding job for quite some time and feel exhausted and want to have a more balanced life

8. Your body shows the signs that you need to rebalance — you lost your sleep, gained weight, feel anxious or depressed

9. You are missing the things that are important to you in your life — like spending time with friends, having a significant other, or being in nature.

10. Your list of hobbies, dreams, passion projects keeps growing, but you can’t find the time or energy to work on it.

Have you recognised yourself in one of a few of those statements? This could mean that it’s time for you to take a step back and revise your trajectory.

You might discover you only need to tweak a few things, or you might decide to do a full life overhaul.

How I got back on track

I have spent years advising clients on growth strategies. It stunned me that I never took the time to look at my own life strategy. No one I knew did.

And life is your most precious enterprise. How come we never treat it with the same rigor corporates treat their strategies?

This is precisely what I did to get my life back on track. I looked at myself and my life methodically and holistically, like a strategy consultant I was.

• I looked at my values, things I wanted to do and achieve in life, things that brought me happiness and fulfillment, things that mattered to me
• I worked through my fears and limiting beliefs
• I set my North Star and a clear vision for the life I wanted to live.

Suddenly, I had an overwhelming feeling of clarity, feeling excited and hopeful about the future. First time in a very long time.

If you recognize you do need a change but are not sure where to start. Maybe it’s about time to look at your life holistically, understand who you really are, what you really want to set the North Star intentionally for your life.

And once you do, don’t forget to check in with yourself every now and again. So that you never lose track again.

About the Author

I am a Chief Life Designer and founder of Life Startup. I used to design new products and services for Fortune 500 companies. I now do the same — but for people, helping them design and live life on their terms. Let’s connect on Instagram.

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Previously Published on medium

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