It is humane of us not to be able to fathom how far we have come from the traces of the past when we are so focused on taking new strides towards the goals we have set for ourselves. We have probably heard it from external sources about how much we have changed as a person, how we have imbibed nuances of transformation that have made us embrace newer habits, personas, mindsets and even surroundings. Evolution is the only truth of mankind, with each new dawn, every human evolves into a newer being, into a newer stance of their individualism, which leaves us focused on the fact that there is so much left for us to achieve in the forefront of our dreams and goals, that we often forget the accomplishments that we behold to our credit, usually not giving ourselves the credit that we deserve. 

Here are sixteen reminders that will help you remember how much you have evolved as a person and how far you have strived in your journey of life.

1. You possess something in your life as the new normal that you would have previously deemed impossible to achieve or to say the least, a dream come true. It could be a job, degree, lifestyle, relationship, friendship, or mindset.
2. You forget how much you have been through or it does not cross your mind that easily. It seems like you have come a long way and don't resonate with your past self a lot.
3. Your ideal romantic partner or the vision of a perfect relationship is no longer the appearance or the sexual tension that it brings, it has expanded beyond the surface level of traits and now how it makes you feel is more important than how the person looks.
4. You have more topics to talk about rather than your problems or other people’s miseries, because your life is filled with more interesting stories to share and more interesting conversations to hold rather than gloating over your hardships or discussing other people errs to draw a false sense of security or validation.
5. The worst scenario happened, you lost the person, job, friend, and opportunity and still went on to live with your life. There are often when we go through unimaginable things that we are wholly undeserving of but the true sign of growing as a person is going through those things, accepting what you cannot change, feeling your emotions and moving on. The only certainty we ever have in the uncertainty of being is in the resilience to move on with our lives.
6. You have embraced the fact that most of your belief systems and thoughts are conditionings of people, media your family and society and you have started questioning what you truly believe in. You no longer follow, subscribe or share content or creators who don't resonate with the belief systems that you are building for yourself.
7. Your perception of an ideal friendship group has changed from the quantity of people you have in your life to the quality of how their company makes you feel. Your priority has shifted from looking cool in the eyes of others by going out with a bunch of people to respecting your time and needs and giving yourself paramount importance,
8. You don't change yourself -any part of yourself whether it is your looks, your dressing sense, your demeanour, your opinions or your mindset depending on the person you are going to spend that day with. Your worth does not diminish by being disliked by anyone else anymore.
9. You don't blame other people for your problems anymore. You make the conscious choice of not wallowing in self-pity and being in the victim’s mindset, you accept what is done is done and nothing can change the past and you choose to no longer suffer. This does not necessarily mean you don't feel pain or do not feel sad, it simply means you take the onus of your existence. Which means feeling your emotions thoroughly, setting firm boundaries and taking the necessary action to become your best version.
10. You don't necessarily resonate with a lot of your old friends. Outgrowing your old friends or people who you knew is not something negative, it is a sign of your growth. You acknowledge the fact that you might not have the same bond as you used to yet appreciate them for the things they have done for you and the good times you had,
11. You are genuinely not worried about looking cool or wanting to fit in. Your sense of validation no longer is drawn from whether people perceive you as cool or not, you are okay with standing out or being weird if that's what implies you being authentic in your light.
12. You can talk about hardships and battles that you once thought you would never get over with, without having any internal conflict and you can talk about how you exactly got over them.
13. You can relax from time to time in your discourse of life and enjoy your journey rather than just sprinting from goal to goal.
14. You no longer accept things as simply as this is how it is supposed to be, or this is how things have always been done so this is how you should do the things. You are always open to being a more authentic, kinder, joyful, rational and glowing version of yourself.
15. If you told your younger self about your current life, the things you have achieved and the experiences you must have had, they would be in complete disbelief and awe.
16. You often go through the same situations that your past self went through and realize how better you are at handling situations- with more maturity, self-love and acceptance.

Off the cliffs, over the zenith of life that beholds stories of strife in its essence true, I hope you celebrate the beauty of your growth, everything that beholds to be the light of you.

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