If You Feel Empty Inside, Here Are 20 Signs You Might’ve Accidentally Sold Your Soul
Have you abandoned yourself?
Ryan Jacobson | Unsplash We have all seen people who we thought we knew take action, doing something we never would have imagined them doing.
Perhaps they put aside their morals and values for financial gain. Or maybe they just wanted a chance to rub shoulders with "who’s who."
These are the instances where you have probably referenced someone “selling their soul.” It sounds terrible because it is.
Selling your soul is a metaphor that means you have betrayed the innermost parts of your being. In most religions, it is believed that the soul is a source of good to either leave the body and head for heaven after you die, or reincarnate into another person.
From a biblical perspective, to sell your soul is to give in to sinful temptations offered by the Devil. This temporary pleasure results in banishment and death.
One real life person believed to have sold his soul to the Devil for musical prowess was Robert Johnson. His early demise was thought to be the Devil collecting his debt.
How do you know you or someone else has sold their soul? Are there times when you’ve compromised what you know to be right in favor of a quick come-up? Here are some clear signs you’ve sold your soul.
If you feel empty inside, here are 20 signs you might’ve accidentally sold your soul:
1. You're selfish
Are there times when you have put aside the repercussions your actions may have on others? If you are willing to sacrifice what’s right for any reason, you’ve sold your soul.
When self-interest becomes your only compass, you've crossed into dangerous territory. The emptiness you feel inside? That's the space where your conscience used to live.
2. You’re filled with guilt
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Selling your soul is not a good feeling. Even if you get all the riches in the world, the manner in which you obtained them will eat away at you. No amount of money can offset the guilt that plagues you.
You've traded something essential for something external, and your internal compass knows it. This feeling persists precisely because you can't rationalize it away or buy your way out of it. Research indicates that guilt and shame can lead to depression, anxiety, and paranoia, though they also serve adaptive functions in prompting behavioral change.
3. You're willing to lie
If getting what you want requires you to tell lies, you have sold your soul. If what you did was on the up and up, it would never be necessary to be untruthful.
When you're doing the right thing, the truth is your ally, not your obstacle. Research reveals that people are more likely to lie when they convince themselves their dishonesty is justified or when they shift responsibility to someone else.
4. You break promises
If you have gone back on your word for your own benefit, you may have sold your soul. Your word is your bond, and if people can't rely on it can you really be trusted?
Your word should be your bond, a reflection of who you are at your core. The ability to keep your word, even when it costs you something, is what separates those who maintain their souls from those who've bargained them away for fleeting comfort.
5. You peer-pressure others
If you force people into doing things that may be detrimental to them by applying pressure, you are selling your soul. Everyone should have the autonomy to decide what’s best for themselves.
If you've become someone who can't take "no" for an answer, who weaponizes friendship to override someone's instincts about what's right for them, you've crossed a line that diminishes both of you. The soul erodes in these small, repeated violations of trust and respect.
6. You omit important information
One clear sign you have sold your soul is a failure to disclose details that might be harmful to others. If you are fast-talking folks through contracts they should be reading, for example, it’s evident that you don’t have good intentions.
This isn't about innocent forgetfulness; it's the deliberate sin of omission, where you know exactly which truths would change someone's decision and you bury them anyway. The emptiness you feel is the slow erosion of integrity that happens when you value the sale, the approval, or the outcome more than you value treating people with basic honesty.
7. Your wins are one-sided
In dealings with other people, everyone should win. If you are cementing deals where you are the person that comes out of top and the other party is meant to lose, you have definitely sold your soul.
True success creates value for everyone involved—it's collaborative, not parasitic. Your wins might stack up impressively on paper, but they're built on a foundation of burned bridges and broken trust.
8. You value pleasure over purpose
You are willing to forego what you are passionate and purposeful about in order to obtain pleasure that is short-lived. Anyone willing to cast aside their dreams and ambitions in this way has sold their soul.
It's not that pleasure itself is wrong, but when it consistently drowns out purpose, you've made a devastating exchange. You've swapped the profound satisfaction of a life well-lived for a series of empty moments that fade as quickly as they arrive, leaving you hungrier than before.
9. You exhibit hypocritical behavior.
You say you have certain beliefs, but your actions prove otherwise. If you claim to be a moral person and adhere to certain values, but your behavior tells a different story, you have sold your soul.
This isn't about occasional human inconsistency because we all fall short of our ideals sometimes. This is about a systematic pattern where your stated values have become mere performance, empty words you hide behind while doing the opposite.
10. You ignore advice
Many people have told you not to do it, but you ignored their words of wisdom. Instead, you are insistent on doing what is best for you and only you, no matter the impact on others.
You tell yourself you're being independent and strong-willed, but really, you've just sealed yourself off from the people who might help you see what you're losing. Their advice isn't meant to limit you, it's meant to remind you who you were before you started making choices that serve only yourself.
11. You disappoint others.
Disappointment in life is normal. But people tend to still be forgiving when you fail, as long as you did the right thing. If others are disappointed with your actions, it symbolizes that you have sold your soul.
They're not upset because you stumbled. They're hurt because you took the easy path, the selfish route, that betrayed the values they thought you held. When you've traded your authenticity for something hollow, that disappointment reflects back a truth you'd rather not face, you've become someone even you wouldn't have recognized before.
12. You indulge in vices
Going against your true self is spiritually traumatic. You might try to cover your angst with drugs, alcohol, casual encounters, or gambling. These things might put a band-aid on your pain, but it’s still there.
These vices offer a fleeting escape, a momentary numbness that lets you forget the growing disconnect between who you are and who you're pretending to be. But the comfort is an illusion. These self-destructive patterns aren't really about pleasure, they're about avoidance.
13. You have a scarcity mindset
You believe that in order for you to win, someone must lose. Healthy, functional people know that there is enough room at the table for everyone to eat. An over-the-top competitive mindset is a sure sign you have sold your soul.
People who feel genuinely full inside understand that abundance breeds abundance. They understand that collaboration often yields far more than ruthless competition ever could. When you're constantly elbowing others aside to secure your share, you've traded your natural generosity for the exhausting work of guarding an empire built on fear.
14. You exploit people
You use people’s vulnerability for your own benefit. The appearance of a shoulder to lean on gives you access to compromising information, and you are willing to throw anyone under the bus to get what you want.
Relationships have become power dynamics you manipulate rather than connections you nurture. You justify it as survival, but deep down, there's a gnawing awareness that you've transformed into exactly the kind of person you once would have avoided.
15. Your life lacks joy
You have all the trappings of wealth. You are surrounded by prestigious people who make you look important, but you are still unhappy. That inner voice is telling you that you did not do the right thing.
Studies have revealed that people experiencing chronic emptiness describe feeling they have no identity or that their identity is unstable, with some stating they don't feel like a person at all. You thought reaching the top would bring fulfillment, but you've discovered that all the external validation in the world can't silence the sense that you've betrayed something essential in yourself.
16. You don’t have any self-respect
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The definition of disrespecting yourself is doing things that do not serve you. Going against your intrinsic values tells you that you may have started losing respect for yourself long ago.
The boundaries that once protected your well-being have dissolved, and you engage in behaviors that contradict your deepest values because the internal compass that once guided you has gone silent. You might ignore your own needs consistently, put everyone else first to the point of self-erasure, or stay in situations that diminish you.
17. You’re ashamed
Most people want to scream about their accomplishments from the rafters. But because you did things in a slimy way, you can’t brag about your conquests. You know in your heart of hearts your actions are not something to share.
The shame isn't just about what you did, but about knowing you traded your integrity for results you can't even enjoy. Real success should feel like something you want to shout about, not something you need to hide.
18. You like to deflect
Instead of taking accountability and striving to do better, you place blame on others. It’s easier to deflect than it is to stand up and say you were wrong. Unfortunately, this can become an ugly habit if left unchecked.
Each time you dodge accountability, you trade a piece of your integrity for temporary comfort. Over time, this reflex erodes your relationships and stunts your growth, because real change only happens when you're brave enough to look in the mirror and say you were wrong, and you can do better.
19. You seek revenge
Carrying around a grudge is draining. The ability to forgive and move on is life changing. But if you have sold your soul, you will seek revenge, even when the transgression against you was all in your head.
You've become so detached from your own emotional truth that you can no longer distinguish between genuine harm and your ego's manufactured slights. A study found that people who took revenge reported feeling worse and continued brooding significantly more than those who couldn't avenge a wrong
20. You break the law
A clear indication that you’ve sold your soul is that you had to break the law to do it. You were willing to put your future and freedom at risk to gain something that is likely not worth it. If you think you have sold your soul, know that it is possible to get it back and return to the kind and virtuous person you once were.
Take accountability for your actions and vow to do what is right moving forward. If there is any fallout from your misdeeds, it is up to you to revisit those wrongs and make amends. From a religious perspective, it is believed that confessing your sins to God will restore your soul.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She focuses on lifestyle and human interest stories that deliver informative and actionable guidance on interpersonal relationships, enlightenment, and self-discovery.
