The universe works in mysterious ways. It is constantly working to make available to you the tools, the resources, the people, and the lessons you need to become the person you were meant to be which is why it’s so important to pay attention to signs from the universe.
But, the universe doesn’t always make these things totally obvious, or even always easy.
You might need to go through bankruptcy in order to finally learn the money lessons you need to create a life of true financial abundance.
You might have to get laid off or fired from a job you don’t like, in order to find the job you love.
Or you might have to go through a painful breakup before you’re ready to meet and fall in love with the love of your life.
You might feel at times as if you’re a newspaper caught up in the wind, being blown about with no clear direction.
But if you start paying attention, you will realize that the universe is sending you signals all the time that show you where you need to go and what you need to do to create the life of your dreams.
Here are five powerful signs from the universe to pay attention to that will help you understand what you’re meant to do to become the person you are meant to be.
1. Does it Bring You Joy?
The first clue I’d like you to focus on is the experience of JOY. I always tell my students and clients that joy is the ultimate “GPS system.”
When you experience true joy, it’s a sign you are on the right track and doing what you are meant to be doing.
On the other hand, when you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing, you might feel dissatisfied or deeply unhappy with your life.
If you‘re not happy with your job, or where you are living, or any other aspect of your life, that may be the universe telling you that it’s time to make a change.
The change might be an external change like quitting your job, or it might be an internal change like changing how you are approaching your job.
As you move through life, start paying close attention to the times when you are experiencing joy.
That’s the universe telling you, THIS is what you are meant to be doing. And once you know what that is, you can start looking for more opportunities to create that in your life.
2. Physical Pain
Pay attention to is any physical pain you might experience.
The whole purpose of pain is to alert your body to the fact that something is not right. So the sooner you pay attention, the sooner you can heal whatever physical ailment might be bothering you.
Sometimes, though, the thing that’s bothering you may not be a problem with your physical body.
Instead, it might be the physical manifestation of stress, anxiety, or an unhealed emotional wound.
So if you ever experience pain that you can’t get to the bottom of, it’s probably a sign that some belief you are hanging on to, or some thought you are thinking, or some emotion you’re not expressing, or something you are doing or not doing isn’t working, and that the universe is using physical pain as a way to draw your attention to it.
Far too often, we’re taught from childhood to ignore pain or to “grin and bear it,” or to numb it out with painkillers, alcohol or drugs.
But pain should never be ignored or totally suppressed with drugs or alcohol. I’m not talking about post-surgical pain or the pain from a broken finger or a sprained ankle.
Temporary painkillers are useful in that situation. But you especially want to pay attention to chronic pain.
It could be related to something you shouldn’t be eating, some emotions you are not dealing with, or some situation that you need to address that you are avoiding.
Unfortunately, a lot of people numb out their pain of an unfulfilling or abusive relationship or mind-numbing, soul-killing job with alcohol, pot or even heavier drugs.
The problem is that numbing out your pain is like taking the battery out of your smoke detector because the noise it is making is annoying you.
Just like the smoke detector, your physical pain is sending you a message that you need to pay attention to.
Whether that message is telling you that something is wrong in your body or that something is wrong in your life, it’s important to listen to it and take action to resolve it.
3. Something Stuck in Your Head
The third signal I encourage you to pay attention to is anything that gets stuck in your head – like a song that won’t stop playing in your mind, or a recurring dream you keep having.
For example, if you have “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” from the Rolling Stones stuck in your head, you might be getting a message from your subconscious that you are frustrated with the lack of satisfaction in your life and need to make some changes to increase your happiness.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a song stuck in my head, only to realize that that particular song had the exact message I needed to hear at that moment in time.
If you open your mind to receiving messages such as this, you’ll notice the same thing.
Or if you keep having a dream where you’re back in high school and you have to take a test that you haven’t studied for, maybe that’s a sign that you feel unprepared or unqualified in your job.
If that’s the case, it might be time to invest in more training to level up your knowledge and your skills.
4. Listen to Your Inner Voice
Another important signal I encourage you to start paying more attention to is your own inner voice or intuition.
When you need to make a decision and you’re not certain what to do, take time to inquire within.
Because the truth always is, that you already have the answer inside you, you’re just not aware of it yet.
Now, that little voice inside you might be hard to hear at times.
One way to make it easier to hear is to meditate regularly.
When you take time to clear your mind of the endless monkey chatter that keeps it so distracted all day long, you’ll find it easier to hear the inner truth that lives deep inside you.
If you don’t know how to meditate, here’s a blog to get you started.
5. Ask the Universe
Finally, remember that you can simply ask the universe what it’s trying to tell you.
The universe’s communication with you is not a one-way street. If you are ever at a loss for the direction you should take in a specific circumstance, take a moment to ask for guidance.
How you do this is up to you. You may want to pray for guidance to whatever Higher Power you believe in, whether you call it God, Source, Spirit, the Universe, or Infinite Intelligence.
Or you may prefer to ask the universe to send you a clear sign.
The more you open yourself to “the powers that be,” (however you choose to define that), the easier it will be for you to find the answers you seek.
Take a moment to write down all the times you’ve ever felt true joy in your life. What is that joy telling you, and how can you bring more of it into your life?
Also be sure to write down any other signals you think the universe is sending you. Maybe you feel stuck at your job, or you’re frustrated with a toxic person in your life, or you’re experiencing some sort of physical pain. What messages is the universe sending you?
As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre—and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of over 100 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack is America’s #1 Success Coach and wrote the life-changing book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and Jack speaks around the world on this subject. Check out his newest book The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home. Follow Jack at www.jackcanfield.com and sign up for his free resources today!
Image courtesy of Daniel Monteiro.
