Have you ever felt like you were on the border of something large, however it came with raising hurts? Oftentimes when we level up in life, there is a period of feeling uncomfortable.
If you find yourself feeling some of the signs below, it could indicate good things to come! Stay driving ahead. Discomfort means you are expanding beyond your previous limits.
You Have Outgrown Your Current Circumstances
When your soul has expanded beyond your current circumstances in life, it often shows up as misalignment, boredom, or feeling “stuck.” This could mean:
- Your job no longer lights you up
- Your relationship feels dull
- Activities that used to excite you now drain you
- Your creativity feels blocked
It can be incredibly uncomfortable to realize that the conditions you used to accept no longer work. Consider this wise quote:
“If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult.”
- Maya Angelou
Angelou eloquently speaks a truth – sometimes our awareness brings painful realizations. But now that your eyes have opened, you cannot pretend anymore. This leaves you with a decision:
Do you…
- Force yourself to stay put? This usually leads to depression and suffering down the line
- Take steps (however difficult) to change your environment into one that does fit this new “you”
Often when people evolve, they may try to make option one work for financial reasons or fear of the unknown. But the desire for change won’t just go away because you will it to. If anything this gap between how you are versus how you want to be will likely grow.
So while option two involves short term discomfort, ultimately it is the path to happiness, purpose-alignment and freedom.
The key is not to defend against this progress in yourself. If you feel confined in a job or relationship, recognize you have simply outgrown the space you used to fit. This is a good signal of growth even if it now feels sore!
Case Study: Sarah’s Career Change
Sarah worked as an accountant for a big law firm for the last 8 years. At first, she liked the stability, status and paycheck.
But after a major health scare last year, she started re-thinking if crunching numbers in a cubicle was how she wanted to live. On her late nights slaving over spreadsheets she would fantasize about opening a bakery instead.
She found the courage to take a baking class “just for fun” and she felt lit up creating tasty treats. Her passion for baking then grew into a side hustle catering small events which started taking off.
After this momentum of doing work she actually loved, Sarah couldn’t imagine herself going back to the law office full time. Was it scary to walk away from a secure corporate salary? Of course!
But she took the risk to direct her life more toward what she was good at and enjoyed. It was uncomfortable leaving the comfort zone at first, but a year later Sarah is happy baking full time and making almost the same income as before.
The key to making a big change is small steps to test out a new direction before fully committing. For Sarah that meant experimenting with baking classes and side catering gigs while still at the office. Changes may be incremental, but as long as you are moving toward rather than away from something, aligned growth will happen!
See also: 6 Habits of women with high self-worth
You Realize Your Circle is No Longer Serving You
Birds of a feather flock together, especially in youth. So chances are some of the tribe you’ve surrounded yourself with represent where you were, not necessarily where you are going.
Think about who your closest contacts are:
- Do they lift you up or bring you down?
- Do they see you for who you are meant to be or try to shrink you to who you were?
- Is their ambition level aligned with the new goals you have for this next phase?
If most of your circle is discouraging rather than inspiring, it will be impossible not to feel held back by them unconsciously. You may find:
- Doubting whether your ideas will work because friends don’t understand them
- Not speaking your truth to avoid judgment
- Feeling insecure if you share wins because the group doesn’t celebrate them
This breeds toxicity that eats away at the seedlings of your new emerging dreams. Because at the end of the day, if they don’t get it, they can’t support it.
“If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” – Confucius
The discomfort here serves its purpose – to reveal this relational dynamic no longer complements the updated version of you.
While transitioning friend groups can be messy and emotional, here are a few tips to upgrade with grace:
- Gradually spend more quality time with mentors and positive influencers who are playing the game you aspire to. Their energy will rub off.
- Limit interactions with toxic friends to casual hangouts vs vulnerable conversations. Protect your dreams early on.
- Communicate changes you are going through at a high level to help align expectations. But don’t expect everyone to be on board.
- Stop engaging in negative talk that drags you or others down. Change topics or leave the conversation.
- As a new community forms, be mindful to give what you wish to receive – encouragement, championing wins, visioneering, etc. Replacing toxicity with high vibe hangouts.
The whole process can take months to years depending on context, but the outcome – realizing through discomfort that you’ve outgrown limiting relationships for expanded ones – is worth it!
You Have a Strong Desire to Create Something Impactful
Stephen Pressfield’s iconic book The War of Art introduces the concept of the “shadow career.” This is your true calling – the vocation your soul came here to fulfill in this lifetime.
But thanks to societal norms, parental pressures, financial limitations and a host of other influences, most wander onto a “day job career” divergent path. This helps explain feelings of emptiness and that there must “be more to it all” that many experience in mid-life regardless of material success achieved.
“The more important the call or action we have to take, the more Resistance we will feel pulling us in the opposite direction.” – Steven Pressfield
However, once you start consciously or even subconsciously moving toward your shadow career, resistance starts weakening. Inspiration takes hold through signs, synchronicities and sparks of passion.
You may notice things like:
Emergent Creativity You Can’t Stop Thinking About
- Business ideas or inventions start flooding your mind
- You dream at night about finally trying that hobby
- Passion projects like writing a book, app or program won’t leave your imagination
This out-of-the-blue emergence of ambitious creativity makes focus difficult. It feels uncomfortable dealing with distractions during your 9-5 when you just want to build stuff. But they come because you are aligning with the purpose you are here to create.
So while feeling torn between cash flow producing work versus dream seed planting can indeed feel uncomfortable – it is a sign you are finally saying YES to soulful endeavors.
You Feel There Are Higher Levels Available To You
Stagnancy is subtle. Since humans adapt to baseline normalcy quickly, we trick ourselves that staying put is acceptable. In relationships, jobs, friend groups, income brackets – most accept “fine” as enough.
But during major growth periods, your soul’s compass expands beyond limiting beliefs. You suddenly gain awareness that “fine” is no longer good enough.
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela
This piercing insight often shows up as restlessness, envy or urges to self-sabotage in places you feel trapped. Cognitive dissonance builds between the cage of your reality versus freedoms you sense are possible but haven’t obtained yet.
Sure, imposter syndrome can amplify doubts — Who do you think you are to level up? You are not ready or smart enough for more, etc.
But once the light turns on that greater fulfillment exists, it will distress you to stand still. That distress is not to be ignored, even if it feels uncomfortable! It implies you are right on the edge of an evolutionary bounce to new horizons.
You Have a Burning Desire to Take Action
Once touched by the vision of your expanded self, sitting still becomes excruciating.
You may notice symptoms like:
- Obsessively researching your dream change (from other’s who have done it)
- Consuming podcasts, videos, courses to learn everything about your passion project
- Shopping for items/gear needed to get started
- Non-stop idea generation about how amazing it will be once you get there
This racing mind energy can feel stressful if action isn’t taken yet. But that is the point – the inspiration for change is supposed to prod you into first steps.
Taking inspired action aligns you energetically with desired outcomes faster. It also builds momentum and courage to accelerate implementation.
What if income limitations or obligations are holding you back? No problem, get creative on how to make mini-moves. Here are a few examples for getting started:
Side Hustle Your Passion
Maybe you can’t quit your job just yet to pursue a startup. That’s fine! Entrepreneurial steps on nights and weekends line up possibilities. Reinvest back into your venture while testing to see if the juice is worth the squeeze full time.
Join Communities That Are Doing What You Want To Do
Get around others who have achieved changes similar to your vision. Their belief, insight and wins will transfer encouraging possibilities. Facebook groups, masterminds, conferences, classes – engage in the energy field of your goals.
Study Those Farther Along The Path
Self-education early on compress time on the learning curve so you don’t duplicate mistakes. Read books, listen to audios, watch videos of mentors who mapped routes you wish to follow. Knowledge and modeling builds conviction.
While urgency anxiousness feels uncomfortable, it purposefully motivates action aligned with soulful dreams. Let it fuel fiery first steps!
You Are Questioning Your Identity
As your true capabilities and creator nature expand, you start realizing lower level stories about who you are no longer fit.
Unworthiness tales replay from past letdowns or societal limitations:
- I’m not smart enough
- My family has always struggled financially
- I don’t have the right experience
- I can barely take care of myself, how could I run a business?
- It’s too late to start something new in my industry
Essentially, everything in society will remind you of why you CAN’T do what you feel called toward.
But if you stay committed to higher callings, your identity has to reinvent itself to match. This means releasing limiting labels which the old you hid behind as excuses not to shine.
Letting go of long-held self images feels uncomfortable. But avoidance is worse – ensuring a fate of mediocrity versus greatness that wants to emerge.
“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm Forbes
Rather than resist this identity breakdown, allow it to refine your understanding of self into accurate assessment of strengths.
Boxing yourself into smaller categories than your abilities define will only suffocate opportunities long term.
Yes the imposter syndrome flares as you expand are scary. But questioning outdated constraints on self-image means you are breaking through! Time now to write a new narrative aligned with bigger visions ready to blossom.
You Want More But Unsure What That Is
Finally, the most perplexing stage of inner growth appears when you clearly want change but solutions feel fuzzy still.
You may catch yourself:
- Daydreaming about “there must be more to life than this”
- Feeling antsy to self-sabotage out of stale situations
- Researching options unrelated to current circumstances
- Having glimpse moments of inspiration that fade as quick as they came
This “ proprietary blend” of ambition/frustration signifies consolidation before quantum leaps. The old reality has been outgrown but next steps remain unclear still.
But here is the key – the stronger desire for greatness colors life with magical synchronicities eventually revealing pathways forward. It just takes a minute for universe to catch up to speed of your internal expansion!
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
The discomfort of wanting more but unsure how is temporary. Soon destiny will piece together a map. For now, stoke the fiery yearning through journaling, vision boards, motivational media, and releasing fears. The feminine energy of creativity receives downloads better when we clear out doubt.
Then one day soon that Aha! download arrives connecting dots perfectly on the next leg of your hero’s journey!
The key is accepting uncertainty as part of the rise.
See also: 10 Habits of women who always stay attractive
In Summary
If you are experiencing one or more of these 7 uncomfortably exciting signs, congrats!
They indicate you’ve outgrown an old stage and new adventures beckon. While change can feel scary, avoiding soul evolution would become more depressing.
Through non-resistance, courage and trusting intuitive hits, you build momentum towards manifestation of dreams longing to emerge.
Discomfort simply means you are taking territories beyond familiar ground. But that is where inspiration joyfully takes over guiding you to destinies ripe for the picking!
Keep determined and recognize you obtained this.
