The majority of my clients come to me for one of three reasons: They feel stuck and unsure about where or how to move forward. They are ready to move but need accountability to support them as they do so. Or, they are in transition and would like support and guidance as they move through a time of significant career or life change.

However, what has struck me recently is that many of my clients have expressed that they were feeling okay until they … weren’t. Whilst research suggests that most of us slowly warm up to any change, it still seems to blindside many. To be clear, we are often unaware of the need for imminent change until it hits us. And then we either feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what we now need to do, or we feel surprised at ourselves that we hadn’t realised the need to make a change.

Of course, here I am talking about changes we actively make. This is where people are intentional and deliberate about the change they are making rather than having an unwanted change put upon them. For example, the change where we actively seek a new role, move house, choose to downsize, relocate or take a seachange or tree change. These are all changes where we are the instigators of action.

There are a few tell-tale hints when someone is about to make a significant change in their life.

Slight hints - a precursor to the early signs

First of all, it often starts with a voice in the person's head – or an inkling in their heart – that there must be a better way. Sometimes the voice has been whispering for some time, but they have only just started to pay attention!

For example, when one of my clients realised she wanted to make a change in her life, through exploring what that might look like, she also realised she had been unfulfilled in her work for a lot longer than she had admitted to herself. Years in fact!

When we speak of changing our life, most of us think of big changes – the actions that seem outwardly life-changing.

Life-altering changes big and small

Let’s touch on this for a minute – the big life-changing events that most people believe will solve their problems include; moving house, winning the lottery, finding their dream career, getting a huge promotion and a pay rise, and so on.

“Meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it actually is big! That is the paradox of making small improvements.”

— James Clear, Atomic Habits

Yet many of the most impactful changes are actually surprisingly simple, and small.

For example, embracing your strengths can be a significant change in your life. But it may be indiscernible to others in the short term.

Or a health and well-being change, where you decide to kick the caffeine habit because you hate being reliant upon a stimulant. Or, because you finally connect your insomnia with your 8-cup a day coffee habit! Again, this could be life-altering for you, but perhaps not to others.

Alternatively, you might make the change to start saying yes to things that light you up and no to the things that drag you down. This is a massive change, yet is unlikely to make the standard list of ways to change your life!

Instead, it’s the small changes – the changes that others may not even notice, that can actually change your life. They can completely transform how you experience your life. And the ripple effect from this is enormous. It benefits you, but also everyone around you. When you start prioritising yourself, your dreams and your goals, your focus shifts and you live with more intention.

But as I mentioned above, many of my clients are surprised at how quickly they move from feeling fine to needing a change.

Which begs the question - How can we tell when we are ready to make a life-altering change?

To help you out, here are five early signs you might be about to make some significant changes in your life.

Five early signs you are about to change your life

You start to question

You begin to question yourself, and your past choices. You ask yourself things like;

Am I passionate about this?
What am I doing here?
Is this job really the best option for me?
Is this how I want to live my life?

2. You get curious about yourself

As you question, you get curious, about yourself and your own motivations. Understanding yourself better becomes a priority. You ask more questions, like; What do I like to do? Who am I at my core? What really matters to me?

You write in a journal, complete quizzes online, seek and review feedback from previous bosses, co-workers or even school, and have long, deep conversations with dear friends - all in an effort to try to establish and understand who you are and what makes you tick.

You consider your skills, talents and strengths and wonder if there might be another way to feel more like yourself in your own life.

3. New ideas are explored

You find yourself browsing the self-help or professional book section at the local bookshop or library. Having never read an autobiography before in your life, you suddenly become deeply interested in reading autobiographies of people you believe lived or are living a life similar to the one you desire.

You are gathering ideas and information, with a view to learning from others who have made a change, and made it work.

4. Learning becomes intentional

You find opportunities for learning that you previously dismissed. Where you may have chosen to listen to music on your daily commute, you are now an avid podcast listener. Or you are downloading audiobooks that talk about improving your life in some way. Your ears and mind are ready to absorb all the life hacks, tips and tricks or real-life stories that share how others have successfully changed their focus and life.

Or, you find yourself perusing online courses and signing up for webinars, workshops or talks. You are keen to learn as much as you can.

5. New connections are made

With your increasing knowledge, you want to talk about it! You seek out inspiring conversations and find that within this new knowledge space, there are new people who also like to talk about possibility, potential and new ideas. You connect, and after those conversations, you feel you can walk on air! You feel seen, understood, and invigorated!

These are just 5 of the signs that can indicate you are ready for a bigger change. Indeed, you might be about to change your life.

Remember, you are the best judge of the size and scope of the change you desire, and whether it will change your life or not.

Knowing the signs

I know these signs intimately because just like my clients, I do this too. Sometimes daily, other times weekly, but at a minimum, at least yearly. And I have been embracing my curiosity and love of learning for years now.

Perhaps you’ve been doing the same, and yet aren’t really sure what to do with all the information you’ve gathered? Or perhaps you’ve got an idea of where you’d like to take your insights and learnings, but find it difficult to get started? Or, you can simply not know the next best step, leaving you feeling a little overwhelmed.

If you are hearing that little voice in your head, or a tugging at your heart, that there must be more to your life, yet you’re not quite sure where to start - I’d love to help you.

As a certified career and life confidence coach, I support people to make the changes they desire, so they can feel more aligned, purposeful, and confident in their career and lives. I do this via tailored, fully-customised one-on-one coaching.

All coaching is a two-way relationship, especially so when we are working one-on-one. Therefore, it’s important we get to know each other before you decide if coaching is right for you. You can do this by joining my mailing list to receive my regular newsletters.

If you know coaching with me is your next right step, you can check out my coaching packages here.

Learn more about Coaching with Rowena