Your Thoughts Determine The Direction Of Your Career

Deborah Brown-Volkman, Career & Mentor Coaching

Are you working hard on your career and cannot figure out why the results you want have not appeared yet?

Our careers are a journey that we take over time. There are high's and low's because our careers span for so many years. Yet, we judge our level of success on the results we see in the moment. If good things are happening today we are doing a good job. And, if good things are not happening today, then we are doing all of the wrong things which we need to fix immediately.

Maybe you are doing a better job than you think; you just haven't seen the fruits of your labor yet? Don't let frustration take away from your efforts. Just because you do not see the results now, does not mean you are not producing them. Maybe you just need to hang in there and continue on the path you've created.

So How Do You Shift Your Thinking?
Follow These Steps Below:

1. Believe That You Will Reach Your Goals

And, you will. If you do not believe it, who will? Belief comes from within. Think back to other times in your career when you believed you would be successful. Do you notice a difference in your attitude then and now? You can believe you will get what you want even if you do not have all the answers yet. You do not need to have every detail worked out before you can trust that all will work out.
2. Focus On What's Working

As human beings we focus on what we need to do rather than on what we've already done well. A forward focus is good as long as it motivates you and gets you moving in a positive direction. Not so good if it leaves you feeling overwhelmed. Focus on what's working in your career. Focus on what you enjoy doing. Focus on how you can capitalize on all that you have learned and gained up to this point in your career. When you focus on the good, more good comes your way.
3. Own Your Reactions

You can't always control what's happening around you, but you can control how you react to it. Did you just find out that a job you wanted was given to someone else? How will you react to that? Will you say to yourself that the effort is not worth it so why bother or do you resolve to get the next one? Did you recently propose an idea that was rejected? Will you say to yourself that you will never do that again or will you re-consider your idea, address others objections, and propose it again? Your reactions directly affect your thinking and can determine whether you get what you want or not.
4. Keep Moving

Goals are reached when you are working towards them on a regular basis. They take longer if you are standing still wishing things were different. This does not mean that you cannot take a break, but recognize that long term breaks lead to long term delays in your career.

If you've ever had something great happen to you (a new job, a promotion, a raise, etc.), it happened not out of pure luck, but because you were in action. Keep moving, smaller steps taken over time will lead you to the finish line. You can wonder if things will really work out or you can use that energy to make sure that they do.

So, what do you say? You only have one life to live so it might as well be a life you love.