Sometimes life has a strange and cruel way of teaching us lessons. Not just lessons about life, but lessons about ourselves. As a 20-something-year-old college student, feeling lost and inadequate seems to be universal, but here are a few signs that you're doing better than you think.

1. You're not happy all the time.

You are not living a happy-go-lucky lifestyle. Sometimes you're overwhelmed with joy, and sometimes you have a really bad day, week, or month. You are living a normal, realistic life. You understand that it's okay not to be happy every second of every day.

2. You feel uncomfortable a lot.

You're out of your comfort zone a lot of the time. And though it may be difficult, it means you're forcing yourself to grow and branch out and try new things. People rarely find success in their own backyards. They find it from a willingness to be uneasy and scared and that's exactly what you're doing—you’re allowing yourself to be uncomfortable.

3. You find yourself thinking about the future and how "this will all pay off."

You've realized that if you want things to pay off later on, you will have to put the work in now.

4. You're more concerned with how you feel as opposed to how you look.

You're much more focused on finding things and people that make you happy and content. You don't bother with shallow-minded people anymore because, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

5. Rejection is no longer something you're afraid of.

It's uncomfortable, you don't like it, and you'll do anything you can to avoid it. But you do know how to deal with it, and you refuse to allow it to paralyze you.

6. When you want something, you're not running to your parents.

You understand that your parents are still there for advice and support and guidance, but you also know that you're an adult now, and if you want something badly enough, you'll figure out a way to make it work.

7. You have a realistic view of success, and you understand that it takes time and effort to achieve.

You realize that the reason that not everyone is successful is because not everyone is willing to be on the not-so-glamorous side of success in the beginning.

8. You're doing things that you don't want to do, because you know they're necessary.

Maybe you're putting a lot of energy into exercising or eating healthy or practicing your passion—whatever it is, you understand that hard work is necessary if you want to have some control of the direction your life goes in.

9. You still struggle with insecurity and uncertainty.

You're not perfect, and there are still plenty of days when you feel like you're not quite yourself. You have to work through these feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.

10. You know when to ask for help, and when to suck it up and figure it out yourself.

Even though you're an independent adult now, it's okay to let people know when you need a little bit of help. However, you also know that sometimes you just have to put on a brave face and get through certain things on your own.

11. You don't have a million friends.

You're beginning to see that it's natural for some friendships to cordially fade away, and some to get stronger. At this point, it's more important for you to have a few solid, dependable, loyal, genuine friends than it is to have dozens of acquaintances.

12. Your way of looking at the world is frequently changing.

Maybe your general outlook has stayed the same, maybe not. But either way, your mind has been open for quite some time now and you love allowing new ideas to move through you. Trust that your past actions have brought you to this moment, and that you have the power to change the next moment, simply by harnessing your own energy. Speak your dreams into existence. Conquer goals with gusto and an open heart. Take every lesson that comes to you and know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.