Life is a journey, and the only things that we know for sure are the start and the destination.

Well, that and taxes.

The rest is up to us, and each of us is responsible for identifying the paths we want to take and making sure that we follow them. But how do we know whether we’re on the right path or not?

Here are ten of the signs you should be looking out for if you want to make sure that you’re following the right path in life.

1) You’ve found inner peace

If you’ve found inner peace, you’ve done what many others have been unable to and created a life that you’re happy to live.

Most people who’ve found inner peace are able to honestly say that if they die tomorrow, they’d be happy with their lot in life. It’s not that they want to die but rather that they’re proud of their accomplishments and content to take life as it comes.

People who’ve found inner peace know that no matter what tomorrow brings, they’ll be happy. They’ve discovered their true selves and created the life that they want to lead.

The lucky little so-and-sos.

2) You’re passionate about what you do

Most people aren’t fortunate enough to have found a job that they’re passionate about.

That leaves them working a day job to pay the bills and then pursuing their passions by night, which can leave them feeling unfulfilled.

If you’re lucky enough to feel passionate about what you do, there’s a good chance that you’re on the right path in life.

Even if you’re not, you’re where you need to be right now, which is just as important. We should all aim to spend our days doing something we’re passionate about.

3) You’re grateful for where you are

This builds on from that last point, because if you’re passionate about what you do then you’re probably grateful for that.

Gratitude is interesting because it’s something that we can all try to practice. It can be easy to feel sorry for ourselves, but we need to remember that there are over eight billion other people on the planet and many of them are worse off than we are.

I like to think of gratitude as being like a muscle that we can keep exercising. I also try to feel grateful for every day that I live through and to communicate that gratitude to the people around me.

4) Your relationships with people are mostly positive

If all or most of your relationships with people are positive, it shows that you’re spending time with the right people.

They say that we’re all the average of the people we spend the most time with, and so you owe it to yourself to make sure that you’re surrounding yourself with positive people.

Of course, the majority of people have one or two negative relationships, purely as a side-effect of life. We just have to do our best to minimize those negative relationships as much as we can.

5) You’re working towards clear goals

If you don’t have goals that you’re working towards, you’re never going to make progress.

The whole point of being on a path in life is that you’re moving in a certain direction, and if you don’t have clear goals then you’ll end up standing still. That’s better than going in reverse, but it’s still not ideal.

It’s by setting clear goals and working towards them that you’ll end up on the right path in life in the first place. And once you’re on that path, you’ll need to keep setting those goals if you want to stay on it.

6) You set healthy boundaries

When we set boundaries, we’re telling people what is and isn’t acceptable to us.

We all have things that we deem inacceptable, and it’s important for us to communicate that. For example, you may set a boundary in which if people lie to you, you no longer trust them to be a close friend.

Setting healthy boundaries is only part of the equation, because you also need to hold people to those boundaries and react if they don’t obey them. If you set a boundary and someone breaks it without a reprisal, they’ll think they can break your boundaries whenever they want to.

7) You practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is all about being present in the moment that you’re in.

Most of us have a natural tendency to dwell on the past or to think about the future. We rarely stop to smell the metaphorical roses.

A great example of this is that if you’re driving to the store to pick up some groceries, you probably don’t pay much attention to your surroundings.

If you’re able to practice mindfulness, by taking time each day to properly look at your surroundings and to really absorb the life you’re living, you’re already on the right path.

8) You’re experiencing financial stability

Financial stability doesn’t come to everyone, and so if you’re not financially stable then it’s not necessarily a sign that you’re on the wrong path.

Still, if you’ve managed to save up enough money to keep you going when times are tough, with a substantial nest egg to fall back on, you’re clearly doing something right.

Financial stability can also be a decent goal to work towards, but bear in mind that financial stability isn’t the be-all and end-all. You can have financial stability and still be unhappy.

9) You have few regrets

For me, this is one of the most important metrics of success.

In the song “My Way,” Frank Sinatra sings, “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.” That’s because he lived his life “his way”.

We’re all going to die one day. The real mark of whether we’ve lived a good life or not will become clear when we’re on our death bed.

If you can live your whole life without having a bunch of regrets on your deathbed, it’s a good sign that you were on the right path all along.

10) You feel free

If you’re experiencing at least two or three of these other signs, there’s a good chance that you also feel free.

By this, I mean that you’ll feel as though the world is your proverbial oyster. The day will be yours for the taking, and you’ll feel as though you have the ability to take on any challenges that come your way.

This freedom is difficult to define, but you’ll know it if you’re lucky enough to experience it.

Conclusion

Now that you know the signs to look out for if you want to make sure that you’re on the right path in life, you’re ready to follow that journey through to its destination.

Remember that it’s never too late for you to change from one path to another, and so if you think that you’re on the wrong path, you can always change direction.

Otherwise, look out for these signs like you’d look out for directional signposts while taking a road trip, and remember that it’s about the journey as much as the destination.

Bon voyage!