Does it feel like everyone is moving forward - except you? People around you might be getting promoted, getting married and going on exciting vacations while it feels like you aren't making any progress at all. Read the full post for details on how you can shift your mindset and take action to get you moving forward.

Do you ever feel this way? Do you sometimes feel like everyone is moving forward except you?

Have you ever looked at the people around you and wondered why their lives are moving forward (falling in love, getting married, having children, getting wonderful jobs, making a lot of money, having a great social life), and yet your life seems to be standing still or worse going backward?

Have you ever thought, when the hell is it going to be my turn?

Don’t worry, you are not alone – that I can promise you!

If you ever feel this way, here are some thoughts on how to not feel like everyone is moving forward except you.

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Run Your Own Race

We live in a competitive world. No one would dispute that.

Yet the truth is you are ultimately running your own race.

The person you are competing against most of the time is yourself. I can’t help thinking we have an internal competition/tug of war going on with the person we are right now and the person we want to be (or know we can be).

Self-doubt often holds us back from becoming the person we know we can be. 

To get on top of your self-doubt, instead of it getting on top of you, head over to CreativeLive and have a look at the How to Break the Habit of Self-Doubt online course by the amazing Mel Robbins.

I’ve completed this course myself and you can read my review on why I loved the course and what I believe you will get out of the course.

Two of my favorite books to help with your self-esteem and self-worth are –

You need to be patient

Sometimes we simply need time on our side.

We also need patience.

If you watch some advertising (or a romantic comedy for that matter), you could be under the impression that wonderful, life-changing events happen in an instant. Of course, this can be the case. But most likely, the good stuff takes a little longer.

Get in and do the work, hang in there, and be patient.

If you are making progress but progress is slower than you expected, this post can help – 12 Reasons You Are Not Moving Forward Fast Enough

Have a plan and take action

So your life isn’t moving along the way you want it to?

How exactly do you want it to move along?

Do you have a plan of attack to achieve what you want? Have you set goals for yourself?

Are you working every day towards making your goals a reality or are you hoping your heart’s desire simply manifests itself out of thin air without any effort on your part?

Many of the great things in life just don’t fall into our laps. They take work and courage. If you are simply sitting around waiting for your great life to fall into place, you might be waiting a long time.

I’ve discovered an excellent goal planner by Nadalie Bardo over at It’s All You Boo. I’m using this planner myself to get my goals back on track this year.

I wrote all about it in a recent post, How to Achieve Your Goals – The Key to Setting Goals and Achieving Them. This planner has recently had an upgrade so it’s completely form-fillable, (no printing required), you can map out how to slay your goals straight on your laptop or tablet.

If you want to get a feel for the planner, you can download your Free Slay Your Goals Guide to get started.

Step up and make good things happen. Be an active leader in the direction of your life.

Accept you may be on a different path

Okay, some of you might not like this one. Perhaps your life will be different – perhaps you are on a different path.

I’ll give you an example. You might be rushing to walk down the aisle and be like all of your married friends. I hate to break the news to you but not everyone gets married. Not everyone has children, and not everyone meets their soul mate. I’m not trying to burst anyone’s bubble here but sometimes these big-ticket items that society seems to think should happen to everyone – just don’t.

The point is to realize that going down another path is okay.

You might be destined for other amazing, fabulous things in life. Life isn’t about everyone following a set template.  After all, what we want in life is not a one size fits all proposition.

Your turn may ultimately come, but it may not be in the form you expected.

Related posts for specific areas of your life –

Understand life can look different from the outside

This one might seem a bit negative – but it is something to consider if you are secretly coveting someone else’s life.

Everyone has their own problems to deal with. It is easy to forget that when we are looking in from the outside.  We only see one dimension of a relationship or situation.

I will give you an extreme example. When I was growing up, my parents were friends with another married couple that had 3 children. As a youngster, I thought they were the perfect family.

I wanted my dysfunctional family to be more like them.

It wasn’t until years later when the husband left the wife for her best friend that I got to hear a small part of what went on in their family home. It was not pretty. Actually, it was downright ugly. As an adult, I was shocked to find out what was going on in my ‘perfect family’. That realization opened my eyes up to what can be going on in the shadows.

Everyone has their own problems to deal with.

It’s about being happy with where you are right now

When it all comes down to it, it’s about being happy where you are right now in this moment.

It’s about focusing on what you want and making it happen and not comparing your progress or success to other people.

The truth is you probably are moving forward but you are comparing your progress against other people’s and it’s negatively affecting how you feel about your own progress.

If comparing yourself is an issue (especially when it comes to using social media) I recommend you also read –

I’m going through an interesting stage of my life at the moment. It’s a bit like a roller coaster ride, to be honest. There are difficult days. There are moments when I struggle and need to be strong within myself.

Despite the roller coaster, I know I’m on the right path for me and I’ve ditched comparing myself to other people.

I’ve stopped listening to my toxic negative self-talk and learned to talk to myself in an encouraging and loving way (and boy let me tell you, that makes a MASSIVE difference).

Believe in yourself and believe in your ability to move forward. Find your path (whatever that may be) and move forward with strength, courage, and joy.

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Read Next – 12 Things To Remember When You Think You’re Not Good Enough