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The world can be a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog place. In order to succeed, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Or at least that’s what society tells us.
It’s not surprising that many people start to feel like they’ve sold their souls in exchange for money, success, or even the promise of happiness. They’ve compromised their values, ignored their conscience, and hurt other people to get ahead in life.
The sad truth is that selling your soul doesn’t lead to lasting happiness. It leaves you feeling empty, lost, and disconnected from what really matters in life. Many people learn too late that money, power, and success does not equate to happiness.
But the good news is that it’s never too late to get your soul back. If you’re feeling angry, lost, and discontented, here are 23 signs that you’ve sold your soul & how to get it back:
1. You’re motivated by anger instead of joy
Instead of being motivated by what brings you joy, you’re driven by anger and rage. You’re angry at the world, other people, and even at yourself. This anger manifests in your work, relationships, and every other area of your life.
Nothing is ever good enough, and you get angry and disappointed when things don’t work out exactly how you want them. You immediately start looking for someone to blame and plotting your revenge.
Even worse, you use fear and anger to motivate the people around you because you think that’s the only way to get results. And when people inevitably get tired of your attitude, you feel even more justified in your anger and accuse them of being weak or lazy.
The problem with this approach is that it’s unsustainable. You can’t be angry all the time without eventually burning out. And when you’re motivated by anger, you’re more likely to make decisions you’ll regret later. Finally, everyone in your life will start to distance themselves, and you’ll find yourself isolated and alone.
2. You care more about money than people
Anyone who tells you money isn’t important is lying. But it shouldn’t be the most important thing in your life.
If you find yourself caring more about money than people, it’s a sign that you’ve lost sight of what’s truly important in life. You’re willing to hurt other people, compromise your values, and sell your soul in exchange for material wealth.
You might justify your actions by telling yourself that it’s just business or that everyone does it. But the truth is that money won’t make you happy if you’re sacrificing your relationships and your integrity to get it. You might have the biggest home, faster car, or most expensive watch, but you’ll enjoy them alone if you’ve pushed all your loved ones away.
It’s an old cliche, but having lots of money really can’t buy happiness. After you’ve satisfied your basic needs, more money doesn’t make much difference. Sure, you live in a bigger house or can buy nicer things, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of meaningful connections in your life.
3. You think the world owes you something
The world doesn’t owe you anything. You’re not entitled to a successful career, a happy relationship, or a life of luxury just because you exist. All these things need to be earned through hard work, dedication, and a bit of luck.
The reality is that even with hard work, you often don’t end up getting precisely what you want. That’s just how life is. It’s not fair, but it’s true.
Feeling entitled leads people to sell their souls by acting in all kinds of selfish and destructive ways. You might cheat on your taxes, steal from your employer, or take advantage of your friends and family. And you rationalize your actions by telling yourself that you deserve it or that other people are doing it too.
The happiest people in life have a sense of gratitude instead of entitlement. They know the world doesn’t owe them anything, and they appreciate the good things in their lives – like health and loving relationships. And if they want something, they get in line with everyone else and do the work.
4. You constantly compare yourself to others
No matter how much success you achieve or how many possessions you accumulate, you always feel like it’s not enough. You constantly compare yourself to other people and feel envious when they have something you don’t.
The sad thing is that you don’t even personally know most of the people you compare yourself to. You see their highlight reel on social media, read about their accomplishments in the news, and feel you deserve everything they have.
And if one of your friends or coworkers gets a win, you feel jealous and resentful instead of happy for them. You might even try to sabotage their success or put them down to make yourself feel better.
If envy, resentment, and jealousy have started to consume you, it’s a sure sign that you’ve sold your soul. You might tell yourself that you’re just being ambitious, but in reality, you’re just making yourself and the people around you miserable.
5. You’re addicted to approval
When you seek approval from others, you give them power over you. Your self-worth becomes dependent on what other people think of you, leading you to make compromises just to win their approval.
You might put up with a toxic friend because they make you feel popular or stay in a job you hate because it looks good on your resume. And when people do disapprove of you, it feels like a personal attack.
The need for approval is often at the root of many soul-selling behaviors. For example, people addicted to approval are more likely to lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, and commit fraud. Even if there’s a significant risk you’ll get caught, the craving for approval is so intense that you can’t resist the temptation.
6. You numb yourself with food, alcohol, or drugs
When you can’t stand to feel your emotions, you numb yourself with food, alcohol, or drugs. It’s a way of escape – forgetting your problems and temporarily making yourself feel better.
The problem is that numbing yourself only makes your problems worse in the long run. It might make you feel better in the moment, but it doesn’t make the pain go away. In fact, it usually just makes things worse.
And if you’re constantly using food, alcohol, or drugs to avoid your feelings, it’s a sign that you’ve lost touch with your soul. When was the last time you allowed yourself to really feel sad, scared, or angry?
7. You think you’re better than others
Do you find yourself looking down on other people? Maybe you think you’re more intelligent, attractive, or successful than everyone else. Or perhaps you just feel the world is full of idiots who don’t see the world as you do.
Thinking you’re better than others is a sign that you’ve sold your soul. It’s a form of pride that leads you to act in all kinds of negative ways. You become more willing to ignore people, walk over them to get ahead and take advantage of them.
And if someone does manage to outperform you or challenge your beliefs, you can’t handle it. Instead of listening to them and considering their point of view, you get defensive, write them off as idiots, and try to prove them wrong at all costs.
8. You’re always looking for shortcuts
Instead of working hard and putting in the effort, you’re always looking for shortcuts. You want to get rich quick, lose weight overnight, or find a magic pill to eliminate all your problems.
If there’s a chance you can take the easy way out, you’ll jump at it – even if it means sacrificing your values, compromising your integrity, or hurting the people that care about you.
Even worse, you want it all quickly, not for your own sake, but to show off to other people. You want to be able to brag about your accomplishments and make other people feel inferior.
The problem is that there are no shortcuts in life. Almost everything worth having requires hard work, patience, and dedication. And if you’re not willing to put in the effort, you’ll eventually end up with nothing.
9. You need to win, even when it hurts people
A win at all costs attitude is a sure sign that you’ve sold your soul. You’ll do whatever it takes to come out on top, even if it means sacrificing your values or hurting other people in the process.
You lie, cheat, or steal to win. You take advantage of people or use them to get ahead. You might even hurt people emotionally or physically if it means you’ll come out on top.
The problem is that this attitude will eventually backfire on you. People will catch on to what you’re doing, and they’ll start to resent you. They’ll see you as a manipulative, selfish person who isn’t worth their time or energy. And eventually, you’ll end up all alone.
10. You always have to be right
Do you get into arguments with people, even when you know you’re wrong? Do you feel the need to prove yourself, even when it’s not necessary?
You’ve become so focused on being right that you’ve forgotten what it means to exchange ideas and debate interesting topics. Instead of embracing new perspectives, you’ve closed yourself off to anything that might challenge your existing beliefs.
The idea that someone else might be more of an expert than you, or see the world differently, makes you feel threatened. So instead of learning from other people, you try to shut them down and prove them wrong.
11. You have no honor or sense of loyalty
A person with no honor is someone who has sold their soul. You lie, cheat, or steal without any sense of remorse, and you take advantage of people and use them for your own gain.
Even the people closest to you are just pawns in your game. You ditch your friends as soon as someone more interesting comes along, cheat on your partner without a second thought, and stab anyone in the back if it means you can get ahead. And if they ever try to leave you or stand up to you, you gaslight them or try to control them with guilt.
You might fool people for a while, but eventually, they’ll realize that you have no sense of loyalty or honor. And when they do, they’ll drop you like a bad habit.
12. You hold a grudge and look for revenge
No matter how minor the offense, you can’t let it go if someone wrongs you. Even years later, you still hold onto grudges and take any opportunity to get revenge.
When someone makes your grudge list, you go out of your way to make their life as difficult as possible. You spread rumors about them, sabotage their work, or try to make them look bad in front of other people.
Even worse, if someone owns up to their mistake and apologizes, you refuse to forgive them. You want them to suffer and feel your wrath, so they’ll never dare cross you again.
You think you’re standing up for yourself and projecting strength and power, but everyone around you can see that you’re nothing more than a petty, vindictive person. And they’ll start to avoid you because they don’t want to be caught in the crossfire of your drama.
13. You’re always negative and see the worst in people
There’s nothing wrong with being a realist and seeing good and evil in people. But when you’re always negative and only see the worst, it’s a good sign that you’ve sold your soul.
You’re quick to judge and criticize other people and find fault in everything they do. Every mistake confirms your belief that people are stupid, spiteful, and out to get you. And when someone does good, it must be because they’re trying to take advantage of you or hide something sinister.
Your negative attitude is draining and depressing and starts to rub off on the people around you. They begin to see the world through your dark lens and lose faith in humanity. And before long, they’ll distance themselves from you to preserve their sanity.
14. You think the world is a dark and evil place
Your pessimism extends way beyond just thinking people are bad. You believe that the world is an evil and dangerous place and that there’s no hope for anyone.
You see conspiracies and secrets everywhere, and you’re sure that everyone is out to get you. The government is controlling us, big businesses are poisoning us, and the media is brainwashing us. There’s no truth or justice, and the world is just a dark and lonely place.
Of course, your negative outlook on life makes it hard for you to find happiness or peace. But it also makes you a joyless person who’s impossible to be around. So people start to distance themselves from you because your company is just too depressing.
15. You believe bad things should happen to you
You think you deserve all the pain and misery in your life, and you don’t fight back when bad things happen to you. You take whatever life throws at you and never try to make things better.
You’ve given up on trying to see the good in people or finding happiness because you think it’s all pointless. Life is just pain and suffering, so there’s no use trying to escape it.
Of course, your defeatist attitude makes it hard to find a way out of the darkness. But it also means that people will start to lose faith in you because it seems like you’ve already given up on yourself.
16. You have no self-control
You can’t control your emotions or impulses and often act without thinking. You say and do things you later regret, and you can’t seem to keep yourself from making bad decisions.
Your friends and family have to constantly bail you out of messes because you’re always doing something impulsive and destructive. And they’ve lost all patience with you because it seems like you’ll never learn from your mistakes.
17. You’re obsessed with your image
You care more about what other people think of you than anything else, and you’ll do anything to make yourself look good. Most people have never even seen the real you because you have so many fake personas and masks.
You’re only interested in doing things that make you look cool or important, and you’re always trying to impress other people. In fact, you’re so obsessed with your image that you’ve even forgotten what you actually like or believe in.
Your shallow values and constant need for validation make you a superficial person, and people can see right through you. They know you’re not being genuine, and they can tell that you don’t have any substance. Over time, all your real friends drift away and are replaced by narcissistic hangers-on and shallow acquaintances.
How to get your soul back
All these signs you’ve lost your soul paint a sad and depressing picture, but there’s still hope for you. It’s not too late to turn your life around and find your way back to the light.
1. Forgive yourself
The first step is learning to forgive yourself for everything you’ve done wrong. We all make mistakes, and we all have darkness inside of us. Don’t beat yourself up for being human, and don’t think you’re irredeemable just because you’ve made some bad choices.
Everyone has darkness inside of them, but it’s up to you whether or not you give in to it. You’re not your mistakes, and you’re not your darkest impulses. You’re a good person capable of great things, and you should never forget that.
2. Find your light
What are the things that make you happy? What do you believe in? What are your dreams and goals? It’s time to reconnect with your core values and start living a life that’s true to you. It might be scary initially, but it’s the only way to find genuine happiness and peace.
And once you start living your truth, the darkness will begin to dissipate. Your soul will slowly start to come back, and you’ll finally be able to see the light again.
If you’ve alienated your friends and family, try to repair those relationships. And if you don’t have anyone in your life who believes in you, find some new friends who will support you on your journey.
3. Practice gratitude
A huge part of selling your soul is giving up your sense of wonder and appreciation for life. The world is beautiful and unique, but you can’t see that when you’re caught up in your own darkness.
Start practicing gratitude by appreciating the small things in life. Be grateful for your health, talents, abilities, and those who love you. And don’t take any of these things for granted because they’re all precious gifts.
When you start appreciating life again, you’ll slowly feel your soul returning. You’ll find yourself smiling more and start to see the beauty in the world around you.
4. Help others
One of the best ways to get your soul back is to help others who are lost and suffering. When you see someone else going through a tough time, reach out and offer them your support.
You don’t have to be a perfect person to help others, and you don’t have to have all the answers. Just be there for them, and let them know they’re not alone. Sometimes all it takes is a kind word or a shoulder to cry on.
And when you help others, you’re also helping yourself. Because as you reach out and give to others, your own soul will start to heal. Helping others will help you to see the good in yourself. It will remind you that you’re a kind and compassionate person and give you a sense of purpose.
5. Be honest with yourself
When you go down a dark path, it’s easy to stop being honest with yourself. You start telling yourself lies and convince yourself that you’re doing things for the right reasons. But if you want your soul back, you need to be honest with yourself again.
Take a good hard look at your life, and ask yourself if you’re really happy with how things are. Be honest about your motivations, and don’t be afraid to take responsibility for your actions and face the ugly truths about yourself. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary if you want to change.
6. Release your anger
Anger is a natural emotion, but it can quickly become toxic. When you’re holding onto anger, it’s like poison in your system. It eats away at you, making it hard to see the good in yourself. If you want your soul back, you must let go of your anger.
When you start to feel the anger swelling inside you, take a deep breath and try to let it go. Ask yourself why you’re feeling so annoyed, and try to understand where it’s coming from. Once you’ve identified the source of your anger, you can start to deal with it in a healthy way.
If you’re struggling with anger, consider talking to a therapist or counselor. They can help you understand the root cause of your anger and give you the tools to deal with it safely and constructively.
7. Learn to love yourself
Above all else, you must learn to love yourself to get your soul back. Practice self-care, and treat yourself with kindness and compassion. Do things that make you happy, and surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself.
And most importantly, don’t be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes, and we all have our flaws – it’s what makes us human. If you learn to love and accept yourself, your entire outlook will change, and you’ll become the wonderful person you’re meant to be.
