Feeling stuck or in a rut? Believe me; I’ve been there!

Despite what most people think, it’s common for many of us to feel stuck in life. Whether it be feeling like every day seems the same, unmotivated, or unfulfilled, these experiences can provide a lot of growth and value.

In the past, I would get frustrated with myself because I knew I felt emotions that made me feel limited inside. I knew some habits weren’t serving me, but I didn’t know how to change them. Or I knew a change in life was needed but didn’t know my next best move.

Have you ever felt like this before? The good news is these feelings are normal as you progress in your life journey toward success, so have some self-compassion for yourself. Even noticing feelings of “stuckness” and ruts is the first step to achieving a personal breakthrough in your life.

After all, how do you expect to make changes in your life if you don’t know that you need to? These can be uncomfortable moments and emotions but pivotal ones because many of us in life tend to remain so unconscious of these feelings that we continue to stay stuck.

“When you are tempted to give up, your breakthrough is probably just around the corner.” – Joyce Meyer

Personal breakthroughs can be powerful. But before you can create one, feelings of discontent and ruts are perquisites. So don’t punish or fight yourself for feeling like this. Instead, understand that this is a part of your journey.

Instead, become aware of these feelings and know that these emotions are guiding you toward your goals and dreams if you can change your perspective of them. These are opportunities in life where your soul is preparing you for a change that will require you to rise to new levels in your life.

In the words of Joyce Meyer, “I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough – when they are on the very brink of success.” Your personal breakthrough could very well be around the corner.

Here are three signs that you might be headed toward a personal breakthrough in your life:

1. You notice thoughts that no longer serve you.

Noticing thoughts that no longer serve you is pivotal for your growth because you’ve gained the awareness to pull yourself out of the story you’ve been telling yourself – which could be untrue or exaggerated as our emotions tend to lead us to believe.

In this case, it could be a rumination of negative thoughts that no longer serve how you feel internally. You begin to realize that the thoughts of everything you feel you lack no longer serve your future self. Or regrets of something you did in the past that you now realize is something you can’t change. All you can do is focus on the next best step or thought you could take in this present moment.

When you can objectively look at your thoughts that no longer serve you, it means you are no longer the person you once were. You’re growing. When you can rise above the thoughts that no longer serve you, you are adequately able to make changes that benefit who you are and who you want to become. In essence, your breakthrough is coming.

2. You don’t connect with the people you used to anymore

Birds of a feather flock together. I’m sure you’ve heard this saying or similar ones before. As you head towards a breakthrough, it displays subtle signs in your life. The most apparent sign is in the people you connect with daily. As you continue to grow and change, you realize the people you used to associate with don’t have your best interest or are involved in conversations that you are no longer interested in. You start to recognize they might be talking about people constantly or never have anything positive to say when you speak to them. You just don’t connect with them anymore, and that’s ok—you’re growing.

Here’s the thing to keep in mind, though. People will say you’ve changed, but as you grow, you realize they’ve continued to stay the same.

3. You start to make more decisions congruent with yourself

Whether it’s speaking up for yourself, demanding time to take care of yourself, or stopping behaviors that no longer serve you – your behaviors always reflect where you are headed. When you give yourself a command and follow through with action, this is a big step to achieving the growth required to elevate yourself toward the stage of who you are becoming. When we are stuck and stagnant, it’s mostly because we know there is something we should be doing, but for whatever reason, we can’t. New thoughts and actions must be taken for growth to manifest in any portion of life. When new actions are taken consistently – a new level of personal growth and freedom rises.