Attitude Strategies - because “Attitude is everything!”
By Angela Loëb
Staying upbeat and positive during your job search or a career change can be extremely challenging. Doubts can creep in at every turn. Sometimes it all seems like a series of rejections and actions without results.
Yesterday, my friend and fellow career expert, Regina Moser, observed that her clients who have a positive attitude, a “it’s going to happen no matter what” belief, seem to be doing much better in this employer’s job market. (By the way, turn on your speakers and click here to listen to the interview Jay and I did with Regina last year on the Job Search Boot Camp Show). She said she would love to do a study about attitude and job search.
I’m with her. I’m seeing the same thing in my own clients. They usually want to meet because they are looking for practical solutions to the challenges in their job search processes. Some of them have confidence in their ability to land a great job no matter what the marketplace is doing, but many of them want a pep talk from me.
One client told me recently, “You’re so strong, and I’m not.” Hello! I’m not built any differently. I have a mind just like any human being, and it can be easily filled with doubt (and is sometimes!) just like the next person. Maybe the only difference is the specific actions I take to support myself and maintain positive momentum. Being someone with a portfolio career, meaning I have multiple streams of income - some from part time employment and some from self-employment, I definitely experience moments of self-doubt. After all, trying to attract gigs is like constantly being in job search mode.
To stay positive I do things like:
- Surround myself with positive people.
- Ignore the news on the television and radio as much as I can.
- Read (and write) inspiring and uplifting things.
- Watch movies and listen to music that inspires and shifts my mood into a more joyful place.
- Center myself with still, quiet moments.
- Dose myself with knowledge of those who have overcome even bigger challenges than I have.
- Say and write affirmative statements about the things I desire and know align to my highest good… habitually.
Affirmations. The act of phrasing something into a “yes” state. This can be as simple as changing “if I get a job” into “when I get a job.” And it can be much bigger like, “I am a happy person today. Everything wonderful comes my way today.”
Below is an excerpt from the CareerFinder™ Method Guide (in the Go For It! Module) which describes this concept:
In his bestseller, The Power of Intention, Dr. Wayne Dyer says that using affirmations is “a way of matching yourself to the power of intention and recognizing that what you think about, expands.” He goes on to advise “changing your inner speech to what you intend the new circumstances of your life to be.” Here’s a great example from Dyer about affirming the work you love:
No match: I dislike the work I’m doing and the fact that I’m not appreciated.
Match: I’ll act upon my inner intuitive impulses to create the work or job of my dreams.
Speak the affirmative; emphasize your choice by utterly ignoring all that you reject. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Okay, so what gets your motor running? How will you maintain your momentum and stay positive? Maybe these ideas will help you… or maybe you have some new innovative ideas that will work just for you. Whatever the case, don’t neglect this important aspect. There’s such a basic yet profound truth in that old adage: “Attitude is everything!”
Hey, check it out! Next up on the Job Search Boot Camp Show…
“Some Assembly Required: Networking for Women”
Live broadcast at 10am Central on Saturday.
Turn on your speakers and go to http://www.jobsearchbootcamp.net
If you miss it, you can tune in later to hear the recording, or you can download as free podcast from iTunes.
Here’s what the show’s about:
Are you a woman who’s returning to the workforce after a long absence? Or maybe you’re just starting your career after graduation? Whatever your reason for looking for a job now, it’s imperative that you develop and use your network to land the job of your dreams. Marny Lifshen, co-author of “Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Women,” joins us to discuss some of the most common myths about networking. She’ll also tell us about the top mistakes women tend to make. And, yes, there are differences between how women and men network. Learn how to capitalize on those differences and leverage your strengths!
