Jessica felt bored and uninspired by her daily routine. She had a job she enjoyed, hobbies that entertained her, and a wide circle of friends and family. She felt fully supported in every area of her life, but she struggled with restlessness.
A friend suggested that it was time for a new adventure. Whether you realize it or not, it’s easy to get caught up doing the same things again and again. Sometimes, these routines bring you comfort and peace. But left undisturbed for too long, your routines can become dull and make you feel discontent with your life. Here are a few signs that it might be time to spread your wings and look for a new adventure…
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Sign #1: You Don’t Remember the Last Time You Were Challenged
You’ve been going through the motions for months or years now. Maybe your job isn’t stimulating you. Your hobbies aren’t thrilling you. Your passion projects aren’t making you excited in the mornings.
The truth is most of us do our best growing when we’re challenged. If you take away challenges, you can quickly stagnate and become a lesser version of yourself simply because you aren’t aiming any higher than your current status.
Sign #2: You’ve Gone through a Big Life Transition
You went through a big divorce, but your house is still filled with stuff from your ex. You moved to a new city, but you still don’t feel like you’ve “settled in”. You switched jobs, but you’re still navigating the new company culture.
After a big life transition, it’s the perfect time to plan a new adventure. That’s because your life has shifted and you have space to reevaluate what you want. Maybe your divorce left you with more time to pursue a hobby like horseback riding. Perhaps your new move has given you more opportunities to meet other singles in the area.
Sign #3: You’re Bored
You frequently find yourself spacing out on your commute while other people are talking to you. You get home from a long day and rather than do a meaningful activity, you find yourself escaping into TV or gaming for hours at a time.
Everyone needs to chill sometimes. But if you’re routinely checking out of your own life, that’s a major clue you need to spice things up and consider trying a new adventure.
Sign #4: You’re Playing Small while Dreaming Big
You dream of more than what you’re doing now. Maybe you want to start that side hustle you keep talking about. Perhaps you want to go back to school and finish that degree. Maybe you want to write a book.
Whatever your dream, you keep tucking it away in a corner of your heart. You promise yourself you’ll get to it when you have “more” – more time, more money, or more energy. Only that day doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.
Sign #5: You Never Shake Things Up
Sharon’s friends joked they could set their alarm clocks by her rhythms. She did the same things each day, never varying in her routine. She followed the same commute, listen to the same music, hung out with the same people, and ate the same foods for weeks on end.
While it’s OK to be predictable, there is such a thing as becoming too set in your habits. You can actually cut off your exposure to new experiences when you get into ruts that you never try breaking out of.
Sign #6: You Feel Restless
You carry an energy with you that makes it hard to sit still. Whatever you’re doing in the moment, never seems like quite the right task. You find it hard to make decisions, switching between goals and projects.
Feeling restless can be a sign that your mind and body are craving a new adventure. When you’re used to doing the same things again and again, you go into “autopilot mode”, where you simply do what you’ve always done.
This is helpful when you need to accomplish routine tasks but left too long in autopilot mode, your brain becomes restless. You’re not being challenged, and you start to feel that as an excess energy that you can’t seem to get rid of.
Sign #7: You’re Living Vicariously through Others
You spend your time on social media, studying what other cool people are doing. You listen to your friends’ stories of travel, job changes, or new hobbies with rapt attention, wishing you were in their place.
It’s natural to mentally walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, every now and then. It can be fun to imagine another life. But if you’re always trying to live vicariously through other people, it can be a sign that something exciting is lacking in your own life.
Sign #8: You Can’t Remember the Last Time You Failed
Dana was stunned when she saw the less-than-stellar review she received on her job performance. She approached her boss to ask what happened. She’d met all of her goals for the year and she was even up for a promotion.
Dana’s boss gently explained that while he believed Dana had a strong work ethic, she had stopped taking risks. “You’re not failing at anything. You set your goals in line with what’s possible without stretching for more.”
Sometimes, a lack of failure is a clear sign you’ve stopped trying. It’s not that you can’t achieve more. It’s simply that you aren’t pushing yourself. You’ve stopped trying to grow and improve.
Sign #9: You’re Coasting on Past Successes
You were the saleswoman of the year twenty years ago. You ran a multi-million dollar company in the past. You started a successful organization, wrote a book, or launched a speaking career years ago.
But well, you aren’t doing that stuff anymore. You’re still speaking on the same circuits—you haven’t tried for bigger audiences. You’re still doing the same fundraisers—you’ve haven’t gone after more profitable donors. You’re still writing the same books—you haven’t experimented with a new genre or publishing house.
Some people find a certain amount of success and set up a permanent camp there. It might be you’re scared to fail on a larger level. It could be that you doubt you can go any further. It may be that you’re worried about falling flat on your face in front of everyone. But whatever your reason, you’re still relying on past successes rather than taking fresh risks in the present.
Sign #10: You’re Ready for a Change
You’ve been living in a situation that you’ve spent months or years accepting. Maybe you thought you couldn’t do something big and bold. Perhaps you doubted you were strong enough or smart enough to make a change. Maybe you let others talk you out of your dreams.
Well, today is the day you can shout, “No more!” You don’t have to accept that the way things are now is the way they’ll always be. You have the power and the potential to change your life at any moment you choose.
Change Can Be Liberating
When many people think of change, they feel scared at first. This is a natural reaction to the unknown. But while change can certainly feel overwhelming, the truth is it can also be incredibly liberating.
Imagine waking up tomorrow and feeling content, energized, and excited to face the next adventure. All because you were bold enough to make a thrilling new choice today!
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