How to Recognise the Small Signs You’re Moving Forward

When people picture progress, they usually imagine something big.

The “I quit my job” announcement.
The dramatic haircut after a breakup.
The Instagram-worthy trip that screams: “Look, I’m thriving!”

But real progress? It’s usually much quieter. Less cinematic, more… ordinary.

It sneaks in through tiny shifts you might miss because they don’t look like the transformation montages we’re taught to expect. And because they’re subtle, you might assume you’re not moving forward at all.

But here’s the truth: those small, almost-boring shifts? They’re often the clearest proof that you’re healing, growing, and becoming someone new.

So if you’ve been wondering, “Am I still stuck, or am I actually moving forward?”, let’s name the signs you might already be further along than you think.

Why We Miss Our Own Progress

Before we get into the small signs, let’s talk about why they’re so easy to overlook.

(01) Your brain has a negativity bias

Psychologists call this the tendency to remember what went wrong more vividly than what went right. That awkward comment you made in 2018? Still alive and well in your head. The ten nice things that happened yesterday? Forgotten by breakfast.

So when you’re in transition, it’s normal for your brain to spotlight every stumble while ignoring the small wins.

(02) Culture glorifies big milestones

Society tends to celebrate the “after” photo, not the messy middle. We applaud new relationships, promotions, or fresh starts but not the quiet progress of simply bouncing back faster from a bad day.

This makes you undervalue the subtle ways you’re growing.

(03) You keep moving the goalposts

You might not notice your progress because the second you achieve one thing, you immediately raise the bar. Instead of saying, “I’m proud of myself,” you say, “Why am I not further along?”

Which means you’re always chasing, never recognising.

The Small Signs You’re Moving Forward

Now let’s get into the good stuff, the micro-clues that things are shifting under the surface. These might not feel like fireworks, but they’re proof that you’re moving.

(01) You Don’t Spiral Quite as Hard Anymore

That comment that once ruined your whole week? Now it just ruins your morning coffee.

The text you used to reread 27 times? Now you only reread it twice before moving on.

This matters because resilience isn’t about never wobbling. It’s about shortening the recovery time. If you notice that your bounce-back is quicker, even by a little, that’s forward.

(02) The Things That Drain You Feel Heavier

At first, this feels like regression: “Why does this job feel harder than ever?” or “Why can’t I tolerate this friendship anymore?”

But noticing the misalignment is actually progress. It means your system is refusing to numb itself the way it used to. You’re more attuned to what’s no longer right for you.

This discomfort? It’s your compass trying to point somewhere new.

(03) You Find Yourself Laughing Again (Even at Dumb Stuff)

Healing doesn’t always look like journaling breakthroughs or profound clarity. Sometimes it looks like snort-laughing at a cat video.

When you start finding small things genuinely funny again, it’s a sign your nervous system is softening. Your body is telling you: it’s safe enough to experience joy, even in tiny doses.

Don’t dismiss it. That giggle is forward motion.

(04) You Stop Needing Every Answer Right Now

You used to Google “life plan template” at 2 a.m. You used to feel panicked without a perfect five-year vision.

Now you can admit, “I don’t know yet, and that’s okay.”

That’s not apathy. That’s trust, even if it’s clumsy and fragile. Being able to sit with uncertainty, even for a little while, is huge progress.

(05) You Care About Weird Little Things Again

Plants. Baking. Rearranging your bookshelf. Caring about something small is often the first spark of caring about life again.

When you start nurturing tiny pleasures, you’re slowly building capacity for bigger ones.

(06) You’ve Started Saying “No” (Even Once)

The first “no” you say, to an event, to extra work, to a relationship that drains you, is a tectonic shift.

It might feel awkward. You might over-explain. But the act itself is forward. Because every “no” to something misaligned is also a “yes” to your own energy.

(07) You Catch Yourself Daydreaming

When you’re in survival mode, there’s no room for imagination. The fact that you’re starting to daydream again, even if it’s vague, even if it’s just “What if I moved somewhere sunnier?,is proof that your brain is opening doors again.

Dreaming is planning in disguise.

(08) You’re Kinder to Yourself Than You Used to Be

You might still cringe at affirmations. You might not love yourself fully yet. But if you notice small shifts, saying, “I’m tired, and that’s okay” instead of “I’m lazy and failing”, that’s progress.

Self-compassion, even in crumbs, builds resilience more than any vision board.

The Science + Soul of Small Shifts

Behavioral scientists call this the “compound effect.” Tiny changes, repeated over time, create exponential growth.

BJ Fogg (author of Tiny Habits) explains it like this: it’s not about willpower. It’s about stacking small wins until your system naturally shifts.

On the emotional side, it’s the same. Every micro-shift, a laugh, a quicker bounce-back, one honest “no”, rewires your nervous system. It teaches your body that you’re safe, capable, and resilient.

So yes, these signs are small. But they’re not trivial. They’re evidence of deeper re-patterning happening under the surface.

Why This Season Deserves Celebration

Society doesn’t throw parties for subtle progress. No one gives you balloons for “not spiraling for three days straight.”

But those are often the most important milestones, the quiet ones that no one else sees.

If you’re in this stage, don’t dismiss it as “not enough.” These micro-shifts are the building blocks of the bigger leaps that are coming.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been asking yourself, “Am I moving forward, or am I stuck?”, look closer. Progress rarely looks like a movie montage. It looks like slow, clumsy, hopeful steps that you only notice when you zoom out.

The fact that you’re even noticing small signs is proof: you’re awake to your life. You’re becoming.

Forward doesn’t always look flashy. Sometimes it looks like laughing again. Saying no once. Daydreaming. Bouncing back faster than last month.

And those small signs? They count. They’re the proof you’re moving.

Celebrate the Small Wins With Us

At Pivoters Club, we’re building a space where progress doesn’t need to be dramatic to be valid.

Where laughing again counts. Where tiny boundaries count. Where one less spiral counts.

If you’re in the stage of small, subtle shifts, you’re moving. And you don’t have to move alone.

By joining early, you’ll get first access to workshops, practical tools, and community spaces designed to support you through every stage of your pivot from the foggy middle to the relief of finding your next step.

Because forward isn’t just a leap. It’s a thousand small steps and they’re worth celebrating.