Life can be incredibly confusing.
Even the most confident person has paused on the path of life and wondered: am I on the right track or am I completely lost?
This is when people turn to faith, spirituality, and the universe itself to help guide them forward.
When you need that extra bit of courage to continue on, look around for these signs.
Here are 18 signs from the universe you’re on the right path
1) Strong certainty overwhelms you
Never underestimate the power of intuition.
When you get a strong feeling of certainty about an upcoming decision or life circumstance, it’s best not to ignore it.
An overwhelming sense of certainty can be one of the clearest signs from the universe you’re on the right path.
It’s not a “mood” or temporary emotion. It’s more of a deep inner knowing that you’re doing what needs to be done.
Sometimes it may even include difficult or painful emotions but the firm knowledge that you’re on the right path.
If you want to tap into this state, cultivate an inner sense of calm.
Spend time in nature and in peaceful self-reflection. Let the beat of your heart and your breath slowly reveal the truth to you.
It will come in one of three ways: stop, go or wait.
When you get that inner knowing to proceed, pay attention to it.
This is your gut instinct telling you to continue.
You’re on the right path and all you need to do now is keep going.
2) Signs pop up right in front of your eyes
Sometimes the biggest signs from the universe you’re on the right path are actual signs.
I’m talking about highway signs, popup ads on your computer (please don’t click them, though), signs on people’s t-shirts that you walk by and bumper stickers.
These may be verbal or visual signs helping guide you where you’re meant to be.
If you’ve been pursuing a new career or relationship, or leaving one behind, you can feel lost at sea.
Then you see a sign telling you something reassuring or inspiring…and you see a similar sign again in the near future.
The good news is that the universe is sending you a message that you’re on the right path.
As Alina Sayre writes about driving around Hawaii:
“Road signs are something I always find interesting, because they can be read to have double meanings about life, guidance, and following God.”
3) You feel it deep in your body and lungs
Our breath is powerful.
It forms a bridge between our conscious mind and the unconscious life and energy teeming inside us.
As the free Ybytu breathwork masterclass teaches, learning to breathe deeply and with powerful shamanic techniques can help unlock our life path.
When you want to know whether you’re on the right path, get out of your head.
Instead, take it to your respiratory system.
Breathe in the certainty and rhythm of nature, breathe out the uncertainty and chaos of mind.
Just be, and wait for knowledge and inner knowing to come.
As world-famous coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins says:
“Breath is an essential element to life, and yet today we’re using less and less of our lung capacity. Think about it.
“When you’re stressed is your breath deep or shallow?
“You’d be surprised how often we hold our breath!
“Breath is the key to physical and mental well-being, and if done properly, it can boost energy, relieve pain, and transform our lives.”
4) Messengers come to reassure you along the way
One of the most reassuring signs from the universe you’re on the right path comes in the form of other people.
You may be sitting there unsure, when a stranger approaches and delivers a powerful message to you, or when a new friend reads your heart and spontaneously provides the answers you needed.
Suddenly the inner anxiety and confusion around the path you’re on in life settles down and resolves itself.
The situation is cast in a new light and becomes clear.
The words and energy of the messenger echo in your head and you get a giant boost of confidence and conviction.
“Don’t ask me how this happens, but the universe has a way of using people as vehicles to carry out certain messages.
“This can be through meeting a random person who perhaps tells you something or does something that sparks something within you or triggers a deep knowing inside of you,” writes Borbala at Follow Your Rhythm.
5) Unexpected nudges happen at just the right time
Along the same route, you may get unexpected nudges that also let you know you’re on the right path.
Sometimes it seems like a mistake, but in retrospect, you see how a certain “nudge” led you to your destiny.
Were you on the way to marry someone when you got a “nudge” by bumping into an old flame and realizing you were still in love?
Were you considering where to live and planned to move to Spain when a last-minute nudge of multiple flight cancellations caused you to end up in Argentina instead?
All of these kinds of situations are ways in which the universe nudges onto the path where we can reach our full potential.
6) You end up where you least expected but it turns outright
This has happened to me a few times. Looking back, I can clearly see how these were signs from the universe.
I set out for point A, but got looped around to point B instead.
In so many cases, I planned my life in a certain way but had my expectations turned upside down.
At the time it seemed like a disaster – the lost relationship, lost job, cancelled moving plans and so on – but in hindsight, I can see how it all led to me reaching my potential and overcoming necessary challenges.
“Part of practicing self-acceptance is to continually root yourself in the ‘now.’ Eckhart Tolle calls this ‘the power of now’ — a practice similar to meditation.
“Accepting the present moment allows you to acknowledge what is real. Like breath, disappointment comes and goes. So breathe into it and let it pass.”
It’s easy to want to be the director of our own life, and it’s true we should take full responsibility for our life without victimhood.
But at the same time, there are so many things which are out of our control.
Learning to accept these things and roll with the punches can be the best way to move forward on the path we’re meant to be on.
7) The world opens before you almost without effort
This is one of the most satisfying signs from the universe you’re on the right path:
Everything just opens up in front of you.
The job comes through, the person you like also likes you, friendships flourish and new interests lead you to thrive.
It’s as if you’re living in a dream.
Other people may even become jealous of you.
If you’re used to life being a rocky road, then experiencing this can bring on some serious anxiety:
This seems too good to be true and it feels like something’s going to go wrong very soon.
It’s true that challenges will always arise in life. But if everything is opening up for you then keep going.
The universe is clearing a path for you.
8) Your feet lead you to your destiny
One of the clearest signs from the universe you’re on the right path is that you end up where you’re meant to be without even intending it.
Suddenly you’re inside a place you never imagined working and you hear they’re hiring.
Two years later you’re the manager and have the life of your dreams.
Who would have thought?
Or maybe you randomly try a new sport or make a new friend, only to realize looking back that this was the start of an entire new life path.
Your feet led you to your destiny and revealed your passion to you.
As Boni Lonnsburry writes, finding her destiny was a long road including lost years spent in law school that just wasn’t for her.
But once she found what she was looking for, the pieces started to fall into place:
“Destiny is not a panacea.
“But it is an energetic destination that will give you the best shot at happiness, abundance, fulfillment, creativity, fun, and excitement–your destiny is basically your best possible life…
“The way to uncover your destiny is by doing what excites you every minute you possibly can.”
9) Your sense of what’s right and wrong aligns with your choices
One of the most important signs from the universe you’re on the right path is that your inner sense of right and wrong aligns with what you’re doing.
If you don’t eat meat and you work in a butcher shop then you’re probably on the wrong path.
If you love to help people and end up in social work then the signs are more promising.
Inner moral conviction can be difficult to suss out, and these days people have so many different beliefs.
At the same time, if you have a formed ethical system and moral beliefs then you’ll be able to tell whether the universe is lining something up for you, or whether you’re swimming against the current.
As John White says about how to know right from wrong:
“I would argue that our individual understanding of right and wrong is determined by our own philosophy.
“In so far as we have such a general philosophy, then we already know right and wrong. If we are unsure of them, it is because our philosophy remains unformed in our own minds.”
10) The magic of music guides you forward
Music has so much power and beauty.
The universe loves to speak to us through music as it guides and reassures us.
You can hear 100s of songs and melodies without a second thought, but then one hits you just right and you’re floored.
The lyrics, tune and atmosphere open up a whole new world inside you.
This kind of song is cosmic. It’s not just vibing to a tune, it’s a tune vibing to you.
You’re interfacing with the music and receiving legit feedback from the universe about the path you’re on.
11) The numbers all line up for you
Some people dismiss numerology as mere superstition, but there can be something to it.
If you’re seeing rare number combinations pop up on a consistent basis then they can be a way that the universe is communicating with you.
An example might be the number 44, or seeing the number 8 everywhere you go.
What could it mean?
Maybe 44 was your old street address growing up and the number is a sign of approval about the efforts you’re making to spend more time with your aging parents.
Maybe 8 was your jersey number playing hockey and it’s a sign from the universe to continue on in your journey of becoming a professional player.
The universe will use numbers to reassure and guide you.
Keep your eyes open for them.
12) You feel like you’re in the movie Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day is a 1993 comedy film starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.
It’s about a weatherman on assignment to cover groundhog day who keeps repeating the same day until he can learn the lessons that the universe has given him about being a better person.
The main character Phil Connors represents all of us on the journey of life.
Although he does everything to try to get out of the time loop, his eventual choice is to realize all the opportunities that the “trap” presents to him.
As Michael Faust writes at Philosophy Now:
“He educates himself in many new fields, becoming an accomplished doctor, artist, linguist and musician.
“He also develops as a person and achieves ever-increasing self-awareness, finally, it might be said, reaching self-enlightenment.
“This is symbolised by the fact that at last he secures the love of the woman he has pursued from the beginning.
“In Jungian terms, MacDowell’s character represents the elusive Self that we all strive to find during our life’s journey. By winning her, Connors has in effect completed Jung’s arduous process of individuation.
“This is so momentous that at that point Connors actually escapes recurrence and re-enters the normal flow of time: but as a transformed human being, fully self-actualised.”
This is a deep movie, and the concept it’s talking about is very much relevant to all of our lives as we navigate the signs that the universe presents to us.
13) Mother Nature sends spirit guides to help
Animals have been seen as spirit guides since ancient times.
Whether in dreams or in person, the appearance of powerful beasts like jaguars, lions, crocodiles and falcons can herald all sorts of messages from the universe.
If you’ve seen an unusual animal or feel particularly drawn to it then it can be the cosmos speaking to you through that animal.
Meanings vary across cultures, but this guide on animal spirit symbolism is very useful for starters if you’re trying to decipher what your animal connection means.
14) Words stick in your head and inspire your heart
One beautiful verse of poetry can change a life.
Reading a memorable book at a certain time in your journey can change the whole course of your future.
This is because the universe can speak to you through the written and spoken word.
The shapes and sounds we use to communicate have deep wisdom in them.
Some float through our head and quickly disappear. Others hang around and make their presence known, revealing truth and guidance in their shapes and sounds.
Aldous Huxley puts this so powerfully:
“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly — they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.”
15) Fresh new opportunities come up when you least expect them
It’s often when we’ve lost sight of the path that we find the real path we’re meant to be on.
Sometimes even an aimless trek ends up having a beautiful logic to it.
We find a place, group, or situation where our talents shine:
We create and innovate at the moment we thought all our dreams were dead.
In many cases, the impetus for all this is acceptance of pain and “negativity.”
When we cease fighting the hard emotions and states we are feeling we become integrated and whole.
Then the universe responds by leading us on our way to fulfill our destiny.
“The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, the door will open.”
16) Your surface emotions don’t sway your decision
Surface emotions like happiness, sadness, anger or anxiety are often what sway people toward making choices.
The problem is that these emotions come and go.
I may feel great about becoming a veterinarian today, but two months into vet school I could be more miserable than I’ve.
The universe helps guide us by giving us a deep inner knowing that transcends temporary emotional states. It’s less of a mood and more of a quiet conviction.
The truth is that being in a certain mood and using that as a metric to make a choice is a terrible framework.
“There appears to be no mood that would put you in the perfect frame of mind for, well, making up your mind.
“So what’s a decision-maker to do?
“The best bet might be to accept that you’re going to have emotions, but to try to keep them from influencing your thought process,” writes Olga Khazan at the Atlantic.
17) You fall in love with a person, place or way of life
Love is one of those game-changers in life.
It often comes when you least expect, and just at the moment when you’re truly feeling joy in your own company.
Then along comes another being to share that joy with you.
Or maybe you fall in love with a place, a culture or a way of living…
This love emotion – which goes far beyond a temporary mood – is from the deepest reaches of the cosmos.
It means something real and profound. It means you’re on the right path, whether or not it intellectually “makes sense.”
As relationship writer Sarah Regan says at MindBodyGreen:
“Love doesn’t always have ‘good reasons,’ which is where the idea of unconditional love comes from.
“As holistic psychiatrist Ellen Vora, Ph.D., describes to MindBodyGreen, it almost feels as though ‘there’s a divine force telling me I’m on the right path.
“It doesn’t always feel easy or even necessarily positive, but it always feels like I’m right where I need to be.’”
18) You feel free of the judgments and opinions of others
We’re tribal animals and it’s only natural that we care somewhat about the opinions and judgments of others.
As kids and teens, it’s common for peer pressure to have an enormous influence on our lives.
But as we get older and travel along our own path, these external judgments and pressures stop being so compelling.
We take them in stride and move on.
This inner confidence and ability to let the outer noise fade away is one of the surest signs from the universe you’re on the right path.
