If you’re anything like me and you like to compare yourself to the high achievers in your life, you can often feel like your 20s are one big fail.

But if you’re measuring your success based on how many HDs you’ve gotten or how many internships you’ve landed, you’re doing it wrong. These are the small but significant milestones that are actually signs your early 20s are off to a good start.

You’ve changed your degree or career path

You might look at your choice to switch degrees or defer in a negative light – you might think you’ve wasted your time pursuing the wrong degree or cringe at the thought of staying at uni for an extra year or two. But changing your direction isn’t a failure; figuring out you’re on the wrong path early on is only going to benefit you in the long run. It shows you gave something a shot and when it wasn’t right for you, you didn’t keep going with it because it was the easier option. Deciding that you want to change the career path in your 20s is scary, which makes the decision all the more impressive.

You’re saving for travel

There’s always one naysayer who says this a bad idea – parents or friends might tell you you’re wasting your money and that you should be saving towards your future. But saving for travel is a big achievement that shouldn’t be undermined.

First of all, travelling in your early 20s will give you an awareness of the world you wouldn’t have been aware of if you stayed put in the bubble of your hometown. Not just that, but saving for a big trip like a month in Europe shows an ability to save and work towards a goal. The saving lessons you learn when budgeting for a trip will impact other parts of your life and make you a better saver in the future.

You’ve adapted to big changes

Some of the biggest changes often happen between high school and entering your 20s. If you’ve adapted and accepted that you’re not going to be the same person you were in high school, you’re already killing it and becoming the awesome person you’re meant to be. If you’re been through a friendship breakup because you and an old friend no longer see eye to eye, you shouldn’t see this as a mark against you. Think of it as a positive step forward away from toxic relationships that were holding you back.

You’ve embraced your own individuality

In high school, it’s very easy to get sucked into following the crowd and doing what everyone else does. But once you leave, you can be whoever the hell you want to be. There’s nothing wrong if you wanted to fit in during high school, but if you’re now embracing the things that make you different, the confidence will show.

You’ve learned how to say no

It’s hard to say no – to family, friends, colleagues or even acquaintances you don’t know that well. While there’s nothing wrong with being nice, people will take advantage of you if you’re known as the yes-person who feels bad about saying no. If you’ve learned how to be say no, it’s a sign you’re a strong and resilient person. Even if it’s friends asking you out when you really feel like staying in – saying no is a liberating feeling.

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Lauren Piggott has dreamed of being a writer since the age of six, when she tried to sneak a book she wrote into her local library.