I believe life is a journey of constant learning and growth. Yet too often, personal growth seems so easy — it’s as if, once you “level up” your skills or circumstances, everything becomes effortless.
But in my experience, the opposite is true.
As you grow, life gets tougher at first. It’s like jumping from college basketball to the NBA: Everyone is faster, stronger, and smarter, and what was once “easy” for you is now “hard.” But if you don’t realize you’re growing—and you only think you’re struggling—you’ll get discouraged and lose hope.
Don’t.
Instead, identify the key signs that can signal you’re progressing in life. Here are seven simple clues I’ve learned that almost always meant I was growing, despite any challenges I was facing. Each sign by itself might not say much, but if you notice a lot of them, you’re definitely reaching a new level in life.
1. Time Slows Down
After I threw my life into a suitcase and moved to Europe in 2019, the biggest thing I noticed was that time felt distorted—a few days felt like a few weeks and one month felt like a year. (Meanwhile, people in America would tell me, “It feels like you left yesterday.”)
The reason this happens is that, as you grow in life, you move much faster and start accomplishing more things in less time than before — as a result, time seemingly slows down. In Slipstream Time Hacking, Benjamin Hardy, Ph.D., explained this with Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity where the faster an object goes, the slower it progresses through time:
Each of us has a vision of the ideal life we want to live. Living congruently with our ideal is how time slows down. Consequently, success is defined as living that ideal for the maximum amount of time. The sooner we get there, the longer we have to live… They feel no rush to get somewhere or to free up more time because they are already in the very state they desire to be.
Compare this, however, to someone not growing in life. If they’re stuck in an unsatisfying or unpleasant job, their main goal is to “get through” every day. As a result, life will pass full of regrets, all their free time will seemingly end too fast, and they’ll feel like life sped by in the blink of an eye.
That’s why, if the perception of time feels different to you, it could be a big sign you’re advancing in life.
2. You Notice People Who Aren’t Growing
For better or worse, if you start to notice that people around you aren’t growing, it could be a sign that you’re leveling up in life.
As you move forward, it can feel as if people around you are motionless. For example, as you get healthier, you will start to notice your friends who are unhealthy. Or as you improve your mood, you will start to notice your friends who think negatively.
Now, be careful here. You shouldn’t condemn them for it. (In fact, if you feel contempt and irritation, it could mean you’re projecting your own problems onto them.) Instead, support them, be a good example, and have compassion—they might even level up with you.
3. You Feel Overwhelmed
As you advance in life, you’ll learn a lot of new lessons and information, which can seem overwhelming at times. For example, if you’re publishing your first book, you have to quickly understand the industry, learn the details, and put in a lot of work — all of which can seem like an immense challenge.
But that’s a damn good sign you’ve reached a new level in life. After all, if every day is easy and straightforward, you won’t need to level up as a person and you have no reason to grow or improve.
If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.
— Mario Andretti
4. You Hit a Ceiling
Life is sometimes tough when you do not fit the standard profile.
— Robert Kiyosaki
If you’re hitting the upper limit of systems or procedures, it can often mean you’re growing. In Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of being denied a loan—even though he had enough money—because his assets didn’t fit the standard definition from the bank:
…I added my new golf clubs, my art collection, books, electronics, Armani suits, wristwatches, shoes, and other personal effects to boost the number in the asset column. But I was turned down because I had too much investment real estate. The loan committee didn’t like that I made so much money from rent. They wanted to know why I did not have a normal job with a salary. They did not question the Armani suits, golf clubs, or art collection.
Maybe you’ve grown beyond what your server can handle. Maybe you’re sending more emails than your current plan allows.
It can seem maddening, but it’s a very good sign. Keep going. Keep breaking things. You can rebuild them your own way later.
5. Your Passions Don’t Interest You Anymore
As you advance in life, you sometimes lose your enthusiasm for old hobbies and interests while getting excited about new ones.
This can be a good sign. As I’ve grown, I’ve often let go of my previous identity, environments, and passions. For example, many of the interests I had in my early-20s no longer aligned with who I wanted to be. Over time, I gradually let them go and replaced them with new passions and goals.
The truth is what people know you for — good or bad — could be your chain. And if you want to shed those labels to go after new visions, there’s a chance you have to say goodbye to them. That’s the sacrifice you have; otherwise, you won’t be able to overcome your current environment.
6. People Try to Pull You Back
I’ve heard a lot of naysaying over the years: Don’t go so fast, don’t think too big, don’t risk too much, etc.
If you’ve heard these things, it’s a great sign you’re leveling up. Your vision is bigger than what other people can imagine and it makes them uncomfortable. As a result, they’ll project their own fears and doubts onto you and tell you that you can’t achieve your goals. Your progress also becomes a backhanded criticism of their life and they might pull you down out of envy.
See the naysaying for what it is: A sign that you’re improving your life and leveling up. Ignore it and keep focusing on your goals.
To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.
― Elbert Hubbard
7. You’re Failing A Lot
Getting rejected, receiving brutal feedback, or feeling embarrassed is often proof you’re advancing as a person.
Why? Because to level up in life, you must step outside of your comfort zone, take risks, and do things beyond your current capabilities—and failure is always the side-effect of that. In fact, if you’re not failing, you’re probably not growing.
Most people choose to play small. Why? First, because of fear. They’re scared to death of failure and they’re even more frightened of success. Second, people play small because they feel small. They feel unworthy. They don’t feel they’re good enough or important enough to make a real difference in people’s lives.
—T. Harv Eker
Obviously, no one wants to fail, but failure can be a blessing because it encourages you to confront old habits and strategies and learn better ones.
So keep going. Use your failures to inspire you and make you better.
You might just be one “yes” away from new heights in your life.
Good luck.
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