You know it’s time for a change when…

1. Fear is holding you back. – Realize that fear is the worst of it; fear is your real enemy. So get up, get out in the stormy weather of the real world, and kick fear as hard as you can right in the teeth. Do so by staring at it dead in the eyes and then walking right through it into the storm. Let the rain kiss your skin. That’s the first step. Because a wet man doesn’t fear the rain anymore. Read The Road Less Traveled.

2. You catch yourself feeding the negative. – There is always a fierce battle between two hungry forces going on inside you. One is negative – anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, and hatred. The other is positive – love, joy, peace, hope, compassion, kindness, and truth. The force that wins is the one you feed the most.

3. Your mind is everywhere except right here, right now. – Some people believe the past is endless, the future is endless, and the present is a moment. But the truth is, the past is a moment, the future is a moment, and the present is endless. Make sure you’re living in it and making the most of this present moment we call life.

4. You feel pressured to be someone other than yourself. – Some people will simply not like it when you are being yourself. They will always be more comfortable with the person they imagined you to be. So when they disapprove of you, ignore them. Because what makes you happy supersedes what they think will make you happy. Do not disown your truth. Do not fear your originality. Do not live in their opinions. Decide that you matter and that there is nothing wrong just being YOU. Read The Mastery of Love.

5. You feel like you’re competing against everyone else. – You are in competition with no one other than yourself. You are running your own race. You have no need to play the game of being better than anyone in any way, shape, or form. Just aim to improve – to be better than you were yesterday. This is the mindset that will set you free.

6. A relationship is making you miserable. – You can’t change all the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around. No relationship is worth being miserable over. Sometimes you just have to erase the messages, delete the numbers, and move on. You don’t have to forget who they once were, but you do have to accept that they aren’t the same person anymore.

7. You feel bored. – Don’t say you’re bored; it’s a useless thing to say. You live in a vast world that you’ve seen only a small fraction of. And even the inside of your own mind is endless – it literally goes on forever to depths you’ve never explored. Do you understand? The fact that you are alive is amazing, so you don’t really have the right to be bored. If you are, you know it’s time to make a change.

8. You’ve been resisting change. – Change isn’t part of the process, it is the process. The bad news: nothing is permanent. The good news: nothing is permanent. Therefore, avoid overzealous elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity. In time, both will change. Read The Tao of Pooh.

9. Other people are writing your story for you. – Your life is a story, and you are the protagonist. Everyone, and I mean everyone else, is a side character. Your parents, your boss, and every stranger on the street are all just side characters. Now, how much do they affect the story? Well, side characters can be great, but they only exist to help you move the story along. So if you make a mistake, feel awkward or embarrassed, don’t get too stressed out. Laugh it off, you’re the protagonist. No other character has the power to stress you out unless you let them. This is just a friendly reminder to help you get unstuck and move your story along. Again, this is YOUR STORY. Live it the way you want to live it, and don’t let anyone else write the ending for you.