12 Signs You've Done Well In Life

1. You feel proud of yourself.

Regardless of where you are in life, you feel proud of yourself for your achievements and your actions  - whether it’s good or bad. Because life is not about going from one point to the next. Life is about the journey - and the key to loving life is to enjoy the journey.

You’re proud of yourself and for everything you’ve been through, because every turning point in life leads you to another. Every change leads to a new destiny. When one door closes, another door opens. No matter what happened in the past, you are who you are because of everything that’s happened and you’re proud of who you’ve become.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
- Charles R. Swindoll

2. You feel happy with where you are and where you’re headed.

You know that you’ve done well in life when you’re happy with where you are and where you’re headed. You might not be exactly where you dream of ending up, but you’re happy that you’re on the right path. You know who you are and you’re making decisions that align with your values. You don’t do things that go against who you are at the core. You are in touch with your soul, with yourself, and you know that no matter what happens, you will be okay. Life will lead you down the right path.

3. You are better than you were yesterday, last week, and last year.

You might not be the best you could be yet, but you’re better than you were yesterday and the day before. Sometimes we do stupid things. Sometimes we make decisions we should not have.. But as long as we realize this and aim to become a better person each day - mentally, emotionally, physically, and intellectually — then we are  further along in life than many  people.

“The minute you stop improving yourself is the minute your life becomes stale. Never stop challenging yourself to become the best you can be.”

- Mo Seetubtim

4. Your relationship with your family has improved.

Not everyone grows up having the perfect relationship with their family. Most of the time we don’t. Personality clashes are common occurrences, let alone if you have controlling parents or abusive parents, who don’t seem to have it all together. While growing up, sometimes we need to push our family members away in order to grow and become mentally strong and well. Sometimes we have to ignore them in order to discard the pain and the burden inside of our hearts. But as we get older, we realize that no matter how bad our parents might seem, they’re still our parents. They might not be amazing at parenting. They might not be as selfless and caring as other parents. But often, they have our best interest at heart. And even if they don’t, we learn to accept it and understand why they are the way they are. We learn to understand their circumstances and how their upbringing shaped them as people. We are now mature and wise enough to manage our emotions and handle conflicts with the only people in our life we can never completely detach from - our parents. 

As we get older, we realize that there’s not much time left for us to be with them. So instead of feeling bad about the hurtful past, we re-create the bond with our parents and make sure they know how thankful we are for the love and care they’ve given us. Because after all, we wouldn’t be here today without them.

5. You’re passionate about your job, your hobbies, and your life.

After all, what is there to enjoy if we don’t enjoy life? You know you’ve done well in life when you love your job, have hobbies that you enjoy, and just love waking up everyday. You feel excited about what the day will bring and who you will meet. Isn’t life just wonderful?

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

- Steve Jobs

6. You live in the present.

Instead of focusing on the past and wishing things were different or worrying too much about the future, you focus on the present. You realize that everything is fleeting and that life is uncertain. The only thing you have control over is the present moment. You know you’ve done well when you focus on making each moment the best moment it can  be. You are mindful and you know that our wandering thoughts can create illusional emotions that shouldn’t be there to start with. The only way for us to truly enjoy life is to live in the present.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
- John Lennon 

7. You know who your true friends are.

One of the most beautiful things in life is true friendship. Your true friends are the people who accept you for who you are and no matter what happens, they’re there by your side. True friends are the rarest gifts, and we should show our appreciation to them more often. You know you’ve done well in life when you know you have a group of people you can turn to celebrate your success and to be your shoulder to cry on. They are the people you can trust wholeheartedly. Having these people in life means that you’re a true friend to them as well. Being a true friend is a reciprocal process. You just don’t form a strong friendship if you only take and take - you have to give as well. If you have a group of people who are there by your side for years to come, you know you’ve done well in life.

8. You realize that you’ve become less judgmental and open-minded over the years.

One of the things that can show our maturity is how we care for others. Over the past years, have your eyes become more open? Has your horizon been broadened? Have you become more open-minded, less judgemental, and more understanding of the world and of people around you?

No matter who you are as a person, no matter what you do - if you have no sympathy for others and no understanding of the world, then you might be missing out on something good in life. Life is more than just about work and play. Life is about experiencing and understanding other human beings and other cultures. Life is about experiencing love, joy, happiness, tears, and sadness. Life is about escaping from suffering, as much as it is about pleasure.

You know you’ve done well in life when you no longer judge people for what they’re wearing or for what they’re doing. Rather, you try to understand. After all, everyone’s story is different. You never know what they’ve been through and what happens behind closed doors.

9. You know how to manage your emotional well-being as well as your mental well-being.

As good as it sounds to be smart and successful, it is never a true success if your home is a mess, your family life is in chaos, and your emotional health is declining . Your emotional intelligence is even more important than your intellectual intelligence. It doesn’t matter if you are a successful businessperson who can close any deal if you are aggressive and abusive to your employees.   It doesn’t matter if you are the breadwinner of the family if you abuse your wife and scream at her under pressure.You know you’ve done well in life when you have your emotional well-being under control and when you no longer feel like you’re falling apart inside because you’re breaking down. Stress is inevitable. However, learning to manage it is crucial and essential to a happy and healthy living.

10. You do things that are good for yourself, body, and mind.

Some people work so hard that they forget to take care of the most important things in their life - their health, body, and mind. Without good health, life is not enjoyable. What’s the point of being wealthy if you don’t have time to enjoy life with the people you love? You know you’ve done well in life if you make your health and well-being your priority. You make sure you eat well, exercise, and take some time off to relax and recharge. You meditate. You read. You do things that revitalize your soul. At the end of the day, no matter how big your home is, your body is your true home.

11. You don’t regret anything you’ve done because life is about moving forward, not backward.

There are always things we have done in the past that we are not proud of. If we could turn back time, we might have acted differently. However, there is no point thinking about it this way. If you’re smart, you learn from your past and become a stronger and better person because of it. There’s no point in looking back and regretting, because everything happens for a reason and leads you to where you are today.

You know you’ve done well in life if all you look forward to is moving forward. You focus on making today and tomorrow better. That’s the only outlook on life that one should have.

12. You feel thankful and are excited about life and the future. 

Your life can be truly amazing and wonderful. However, if you don’t appreciate what you have, then you will never feel truly happy. You know you’ve done well in life if you feel thankful for being alive and appreciate what you have, rather than focusing on what you don’t have. Life is a gift in itself. The key to this is to view it with gratitude. After all, it is what it is. Everything and every person has come into your life to teach you something. See it as a passing experience and learn from it. Be thankful for whatever has happened because without it you would not have grown and be as equipped as you are today.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

- Steve Jobs