Signs and Synchronicities You Shouldn’t Ignore

Below, discover 12 common signs and synchronicities that may show up in your daily life, plus learn about 5 times I experienced signs from the Universe.

Signs and Synchronicities

Messages, guidance, signs, and synchronicities.

When you first begin learning about manifestation, it’s likely you’ll hear these words over and over again. Follow the signs. Pay attention to the synchronicities. Open your heart to receive guidance from the universe.

But what exactly does this mean?

Signs and synchronicities are anything that occur in your experience that hold a particular meaning for you. Often, these signs seem to come from an external force, which you may have one or many names for: God, the Universe, Source Energy, a Higher Power, or any other name that feels right to you. These signs may have many purposes. They may guide you on your journey, act as a gentle nudge toward a particular path, or reassure you that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

Signs and synchronicities can come in all kinds of forms; some are more abstract and conceptual while others seem to slap you right in the face. For instance, if there’s an animal that holds a special meaning to you, and you keep seeing that animal in pictures, paintings, lawn ornaments, and other places, that might be a sign for you. Or maybe you normally get a coffee at a certain cafe every morning, but something inside you is telling you to go to a different one today. Even though it’s more of a feeling than a physical object, that’s a sign as well. A sign is truly anything that sparks a strong inner knowing within you.

• Related: How To Ask The Universe For A Sign (A Complete Guide)

Interpreting Signs

So how exactly do you interpret these signs? For instance, what does it mean if you suddenly start seeing fox or wolf pictures everywhere? While you can use a search engine to learn more about the symbolism of these animals, the ultimate interpreter for any sign is you. If a fox has a special meaning for you (say, your grandmother gave you a special fox stuffed animal when you were little), then that sign may have a different interpretation for you than the average search engine can suggest. However, if you are completely at a loss for what a certain sign means and are feeling drawn to do some internet research, go for it! Listen to your intuition to help you take the next right step.

Below, I write about five experiences I’ve had with signs and synchronicities. Then, I list 12 common types of signs and synchronicities that may show up for you in your experience.

• Related: How To Receive Messages From The Universe

Signs and Synchronicities: The Time I Found Money After Repeating Abundance Affirmations

Last year, we purchased a Wahoo KICKR bike trainer (no affiliation) to use for indoor workouts, especially in the winter when our outdoor options become more limited. I started using the trainer twice a week, quickly discovering all the muscles in my legs that don’t get worked out through running alone. I also quickly learned that riding a stationary indoor bike is actually more of a mental battle than running because I’m sitting in the same spot the entire time, looking at the same walls. So I started to get creative with ways to keep my brain occupied. And that’s when I began incorporating affirmations into my rides.

One bonus of working out all alone indoors where no one can see you: you can look and act as ridiculous as you want, and nobody will ever know.

I started a practice where every time I found my brain struggling to keep going, I’d start repeating affirmations aloud. Many times, these were affirmations of how powerful and strong I was and how I could do hard things. I’d affirm my worthiness. I’d affirm how awesome I was. And as I repeated these over and over again, I slowly released my inhibitions and allowed myself to act as silly as I wanted.

One day, I decided to do something different and chose affirmations for financial abundance. I am worthy of increasing my income. I am worthy of financial abundance. Wealth is my birthright. I am a money magnet. Prosperity flows to and through me. I am open to the flow of financial prosperity.

On and on I went, repeating these affirmations as my heart rate increased and the endorphins kicked in. I was feeling particularly uninhibited and free that day. I remember getting off that bike and heading to the shower feeling all the good feelings.

An hour or two later, I headed to a nearby store to pick up some groceries. And that’s when something happened. Something that has never happened to me in my entire life.

I found a $20 bill on the ground.

What. The. Heck.

I looked around to see if someone might’ve just dropped it, but there was no one around. Questions raced through my head: What should I do? Do I pick it up? Do I leave it for someone else? Since I didn’t earn this, I surely don’t deserve it, right?

I thought back to the affirmations for abundance. I am worthy of financial abundance. Wealth is my birthright. I am open to the flow of financial prosperity.

I picked up the $20 bill, still feeling somewhat uneasy. Metaphorically, I was in foreign territory here. Was this the flow of financial prosperity I said I was open to? Was it okay for me to accept this money?

The very next day, I was listening to a random podcast I had just found, and the podcaster made a comment that whenever you find money on the ground, even if it’s just a penny, pick it up because that’s a sign you’re giving back to the universe that you’re open to abundance. When you accept in gratitude what the universe offers to you, you’re making space to receive even more beautiful abundance in your life.

Oh, I thought, thinking back to that $20 bill. Now, I’m not one to blindly accept everything a podcaster tells me about how the universe works. I listen, and then I make my own decisions and form my own opinions based on what feels right to me. That one felt right. It felt like the $20 and the podcast had come to me as a sign that I am worthy of abundance and that money can be a powerful sign of love, generosity, and kindness (not the root of all evil like so many of us grow up hearing).

• You May Also Like: How To Manifest Money (A Comprehensive Guide)

Signs and Synchronicities: The Time I Was A Penny Magnet

This one also happened at a local grocery store. I’d just finished up purchasing my goods and as I was walking out, I spotted the coffee shop situated near the sliding glass doors, perfectly located to get coffee addicts like me to treat themselves to a cup of something delicious and caffeinated before they leave. Now, I actually don’t buy coffee out very much, but on this day, I decided to treat myself to a 16-ounce hot Americano with some almond milk and stevia. (Okay, I know, most boring order ever.) I started walking to the ordering line when I spotted something shiny and copper on the floor. A single penny. Now, in the past, I would’ve just kept walking, thinking it’s just a penny and believing its value to be pretty much nothing. But you know that podcast I talked about above? Those words came back to me.

Whenever you find money on the ground, even if it’s just a penny, pick it up because that’s a sign you’re giving back to the universe that you’re open to abundance.

I bent over and swiftly picked up the penny, saying a little thank you in my mind, and walked up to the front to place my order. The barista turned away to start making my drink. I eyed the tip jar next to the cash register. I wanted to put the penny in there, but would that be considered some kind of sign that I didn’t want abundance? No, I decided. I was giving it away from a good and loving place. It felt right. I put the penny in the tip jar, along with well wishes and good thoughts, and then walked to the pick-up area.

There, on the floor below me, was another bright, shiny penny.

I looked at it for a few seconds before bending over and picking it up, sliding it between my fingers. (This was all pre-COVID . . . my relationship with germs has changed a bit since then.)

All of the good you put out into the world always comes back to you.

At that moment, I got a funny little feeling in my chest. This was a lesson, I realized. A loving, encouraging, uplifting lesson from the Universe.

I had given the penny away from a good and loving place, and then it came back to me almost immediately. Everything I give in love will always come back to me, often in wondrous and unimaginable ways. There is magic in this world. I believe it, and because I believe it, I see it all around me every single day.

Signs and Synchronicities: The Time I Discovered My AirPods Were Dead

This is actually the experience that inspired me to write this post. Just a few weeks ago, I was getting ready to go on my morning run when a thought entered my head: I should meditate first.

Now, it isn’t unusual for me to meditate before I run in the morning, but I also don’t have any hard and set rules about when I should meditate. Sometimes, it’s after I do my morning journaling. Sometimes, it’s later in the morning. Other times, it’s in the afternoon or after dinner. On this particular day, I decided I’d meditate later so I could run and then get some tasks done before lunchtime. But as I started pulling out my running clothes, I kept hearing that nagging voice in my head: Meditate first. Meditate now. You should meditate. Meditate. Meditate. Go meditate.

I’m going to be completely honest here: sometimes, I still have trouble discerning whether that voice comes from a place of love, or whether it’s the bully in my head trying to guilt me into something. It didn’t feel like a bully this time. Maybe there’s a reason for this, I thought. Maybe the universe knows I’m feeling a little unsettled today and that a meditation would help. It felt like this voice was coming from a place of good, so in that moment, I chose to surrender.

I grabbed my phone and my AirPods and settled into a quiet space in my office with the lights off. I found a guided meditation on my Insight Timer app (no affiliation). And then I pressed play.

The teacher’s voice started speaking to me in my right ear, but nothing came out of the speaker in my left ear. Okay, that’s happened to me before. Usually, if I take the AirPods out and put them back in, they work. So I did this, but the left speaker still wasn’t working. I tried again. Nothing. Okay, fine. I put them back in their case, then took them back out. Still nothing. Finally, I checked the charge level: the right one was at 98%, but the left one was at 2%.

Um what?

They’d been in their charging station all night, but clearly I must not have tucked the left one in all the way. Okay, no big deal. I didn’t need the AirPods to meditate. But then, I realized something:

If I had gone running first like I had planned, I wouldn’t have discovered that the left one wasn’t charged until after I had started my run. By meditating first, I now had time to charge it so I could use it for my run.

Would it have been the end of the world if I had to run without my audiobook or music or a podcast to keep me company? Absolutely not. But in that moment, it felt like a kind, loving nudge from the universe, reminding me that it always has my back.

Signs and Synchronicities: The Time(s) I Received the Perfect Song

Many times, when I’m working or focusing on something important, I’ll turn to one of Spotify’s instrumental playlists to help me to feel calm and focused: Piano for Meditation, Peace, Keep Calm, Musical Therapy, and Music for Concentration, among others. There have been two distinct times when I was having “off” days, feeling sad, down, and out of sorts, and I happened to look down at my phone and found a song title playing that seemed to speak straight to me:

• All is Well Now by Roger Reuse
• Trust the Universe by Chama Wijnen

Now, we all might have different interpretations of these kinds of experiences. For some, it might be a coincidence. And for others, it might be a sign from the the Universe that all is really well. For me, it was the latter. I knew in those moments that I wasn’t alone, and I was able to breathe a little easier and find comfort in the fact that I am always loved, supported, and protected.

Signs and Synchronicities: All the Fours

If you read about manifestation and the Law of Attraction, it’s likely that one of the first things you’ll hear about is signs and synchronicities. And one of the most universal “type” of sign is a number.

Is there a number that’s held special meaning to you throughout your life? Or maybe you’ve seen a series of numbers, like 111 or 777, show up at random and mysterious places and times. We can write these moments off as coincidences if we want to, or we can lean in and view these experiences as synchronicities.

For me, I’ve always liked the number 4. I have no particular reason to like this number; my birthday doesn’t have a 4 in it, and it doesn’t hold any sentimental value. There’s just something about it that I’ve always liked. I like that it’s an even, whole number, and there’s something neat and tidy about it that I appreciate. It’s really that simple. As I began to learn about signs and started to pay attention more, I noticed that 4s started showing up more and more for me. I seemed to always look at the clock at 4:44. Once, I even woke up from dead sleep, looked at the clock, and saw that it was 4:44 AM. I use a Fitbit to track my runs, and many times, I’ve looked down at my watch exactly at 4.44 miles.

Again, how we choose to interpret these signs is truly up to each individual. For me, seeing a series of 4s is a loving nudge that I’m on the right path. Sometimes, it’s a reminder that I’m never truly alone. When I’m feeling particularly down or off, it helps to lift my spirits.

12 Common Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Now that you’ve read about some of my experiences with signs and synchronicities, I encourage you to explore your own encounters with such experiences. Below, I’ve written a list of common and signs and synchronicities you might experience in your own life.

Note that I’m not necessarily going to tell you how to interpret them. The truth is, I believe that five people can experience the exact same sign and interpret that sign five different ways, and they’d all be right. You know your truth by the way it feels. Follow that knowing. Trust it.

Numbers

It’s 11:11 and you’re driving behind someone with the numbers 111 on their license plate. It doesn’t have to be this blatant, but numbers and number sequences can show up for you anytime in all kinds of forms.

There are guides out there that help you to interpret number sequences, and if you’ve been seeing a specific sequence of numbers and feel compelled to research the meaning, I definitely encourage you to do so. But don’t rely on these external guides, especially if your intuition is telling you that you already know what these numbers mean. Trust yourself and your inner knowing. You know far more than you realize.

Songs, Song Titles, and Lyrics

A song title appears on your Spotify playlist that seems to be written just for you. An old song that reminds you of a certain friend comes on the radio. You hear a lyric of a song that speaks straight to your heart. Don’t write these moments off. Let them speak to you.

Objects

I listened to a podcast recently where a woman described how a book literally fell off the shelf in front of her at the bookstore. She ended up buying this book, and it changed the course of her career trajectory (for the better). Objects can come in all different forms, such as a toy, letter, article of clothing, picture, piece of jewelry, or anything that holds meaning to you.

Animals

Does a certain animal show up for you in different places and times? It doesn’t have to be the actual physical presence of the animal. It could be a picture or a wood carving of the animal, or the image of the animal could randomly appear in your mind. (This has happened to me with eagles.)

Dreams

Dreams are a powerful guide to your subconscious mind. Have you ever had a recurring dream? Or maybe a particularly vivid and intense dream? Maybe you don’t have recurring dreams, but you dream about the same people or experiences often. What are these dreams telling you?

Intuition and Inner Knowing

This is nearly impossible to quantify, but I think most of us have experienced this at least one in our lives. I used to believe I had a “bad” intuition, so I set an intention to learn how to listen and trust it. One way I did this was through running. On my morning runs around the neighborhood, instead of automatically going my normal route, I’d let my intuition guide me to the next turn. (Note that I was always safe and cautious when doing this.) Sometimes, my intuition would tell me to pause and walk for a minute. It sometimes would feel silly, and I often wondered if this was really my intuition or just me wanting it to be, but that was all part of the process of learning.

One day, I got a nudge to stop and walk, so I did. A second later, a car pulled out quickly in the driveway right in front of me. If I had kept running, I would’ve been right in the car’s path. I don’t know if it would’ve hit me or not if I had kept running, but I was grateful I had listened to my inner knowing in that moment.

Symbols

Feathers, trees, flowers, shapes, and mountains are just a few of symbols that might show up for you. For instance, if white roses have a special meaning for you, maybe seeing or receiving a white rose is a sign to remind you that you are always loved.

Something Not Happening the Way You Planned

A vacation gets cancelled at the last minute. An accident on the freeway makes you late for an appointment or meeting. Your car doesn’t start. Your computer crashes. These moments can all be frustrating, but instead of viewing them with a “the world is against me” mentality, look at the ways that these experiences may actually be for you.

Money/Coins

Finding money on the ground can be a sign that abundance is on its way, or that you’re on the right path to abundance. Instead of dismissing the next penny you see on the sidewalk as meaningless, say a quiet thank you to the universe for this sign.

Instagram Posts

I know it might sound silly, but don’t write this one off. Have you ever found yourself scrolling through Instagram and stopped at a post that seemed to be speaking directly to you? I find some of my greatest signs through words I read on Instagram. I know social media gets a bad reputation, but if you allow it to be a tool for good, you’ll find some pretty incredible things (and people!)

People

Speaking of incredible people, your friends, family members, colleagues, and even strangers can be signs, too. If a certain person keeps popping into your head, maybe it’s time to give them a call or send a DM or a text. You never know where it’ll lead! (I got one of the best jobs of my life this way.)

Synchronicities

These are also hard to quantify, but you know them when they happen. For instance, a few weeks back, I called my mom. She answered almost immediately and said she had just picked up her phone to call me. You may have experienced these kinds of moments yourself. I’ve also experienced synchronicities where jobs and apartments have opened up as soon as I set the intention for something new. For me, synchronicities mean I’m on the right path.

Finally, I want to address something you might hear in conversations about signs and synchronicities: sometimes, not receiving a sign is your sign. I know, I know. That’s super frustrating. So does this mean you’re on the wrong path? Should you change your course? Not necessarily. Sometimes, it may just require patience to see the bigger picture. I find that when I’m too wrapped up in looking for signs, these are usually the times when I need to take a step back. Often, as soon as I release my desire to find a sign and stop looking for it, that’s when it’ll come to me.

Have you ever experienced any especially powerful signs and synchronicities in your life? What kinds of signs have shown up in your path? Feel free to leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your story!

---

What signs and synchronicities have shown up in your life? Share your experiences in the comment box below!

And for more manifesting tips, daily affirmations, and lots of positive vibes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! Plus don’t forget to check out these items in my online shop:

• Dreams, Goals & Manifestation Printables
• The Ultimate Manifestation Workbook
• 30-Day Manifestation Journal

---