I found myself stalled at 25 in a job I didn't like and alone except for a few friends.
I laid out 5 goals for myself: lose 40 lbs, find a way to make 100k or better, forgive myself for losing who I thought was the love of my life, find someone who would make a good wife, and appreciate the successes I have had
It took 5 years to check each of these off.
The weight loss was the easiest.
To obtain a better job, I started browsing job boards, not for anything I was qualified for, but for things I could achieve. I went back to school at night and let my managers know where I was heading . This led to opportunities to move into better positions as I went through school. Eventually I got the job I wanted in business development for an energy firm.
I ran into my ex at a wedding and we talked for a while, and I asked to grab coffee after the wedding. We had both acted unkindly to each other at the end and we both had guilt about it 3 years after the fact. Talking it out and finding that neither of us held ill will toward the other was a huge weight off my shoulders. I wished that I had been more proactive in this, guilt and regret ate too much of my mid 20s. That was 7 years ago, and we've remained friends from that point forward.
I grew up poor with a wackjob religious mother. It wasn't until I was out of my parents house that I started dating and even then my head was filled with ideas of shame about sex, what being a good man was, and what I should want. At 25 I had not progressed much. I basically put myself on eharmony and went on a lot of dates. It was hard to develop standards for myself. I dated two women for six to nine months and got out when I realized this wasn't going anywhere. Then I met my wife and things really clicked. I proposed after a year and a half.
Some people are filled with self confidence and self worth. I was not one of those people. It took some successes to convince myself I was worthy of my own respect. However, it was recognizing that I still carried shame from my childhood that I was still beating myself up and disregard my own value. Getting that worked out was a lot of personal navel gazing, and probably would have been better seeing a therapist who could guide me through it.
Tl;Dr identify and achieve your goals, identify and address your baggage (shame).