Try Thinking About Your Goals in a Different Way

All of us want to be more effective in some area of our lives. Maybe it is finding the perfect job, making a big sale, being a better leader, being a more effective parent or improving our health. “Do you have to be confident in order to achieve your desired results or does achieving your desired results make you confident”? This question was posed by Dr. Julie Bell in her book, “Performance Intelligence at Work”. Her question had me pondering my thought process when I reached my goals compared to when I fell short. Every single one of us has our weak areas where we are less than completely confident in our abilities. Overcoming these vulnerabilities is the key to reaching our goals. Our minds are extremely powerful and we can coach ourselves to change our behaviors in order achieve our goals.

I occasionally have one of those days when I am just not “feeling it” and I’m less than satisfied with my performance is some area. We’re taught to be optimistic and see our glass half full, but how do we change the way we think when we are feeling less than confident? This is my strategy for cranking it up a notch:

At the end of the day, I think about what I accomplished and what went well rather than the stuff I didn’t get done on my list or where I failed. Thinking about my accomplishments puts me in a more confident frame of mind; not to mention, I am a little more pleasant to be around. Don’t think about your performance as all or nothing, success or failure. It is a combination and a range of both.

The beginning of each day is all about reviewing my game plan. I think about changes I can make to improve my performance. These are usually small things like adding more details to a message in order to be clearer. Maybe you decide to focus more on your listening skills when speaking with a potential employer or client. The change might be to remember to thank your assistant for his hard work or skip that piece of chocolate cake. Coach rather than criticize yourself.

I keep my goals in mind, but it is more important for me to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Are you taking the actions you need to take each and every day to get you where you want to go? When thinking only about your ultimate goal, like being the top sales manager, landing the perfect job or running a marathon, it can seem overwhelming. I find that I experience more success when my thoughts are focused on doing the right thing. The positive outcome generally follows.

Good Luck!

Finding Your Next Perfect Career

Being unemployed can be an amazing opportunity to start fresh doing something that you really love. You have the advantage over folks stuck in a job that they don’t enjoy. Security of a regular paycheck is holding them back, but no employer has that hold over you. OK, so unemployment is not all roses. The uncertainty is frustrating and sometimes a little scary. What can you do to find the courage to turn your situation into your next big break? Here are a few ideas you might not have tried yet:

Prepare yourself for battle – Maybe your previous full time job gave you an excuse not to find time to get some exercise and maintain healthy eating habits. In career search mode though, you are going to need every competitive advantage at your disposal. These days, competition is fierce. Start developing healthy habits so you can look and feel your best in that next job interview. Aerobic exercise is also a good way to relieve stress related to unemployment, so get out there!

Master your confidence – A layoff is a blow to our egos and its human nature to get down on ourselves. Work on your confidence by celebrating the small victories like succeeding at a small task or when someone compliments you. By taking concrete actions that improve your competence, you will improve your confidence. Your confidence will be apparent to potential employers and could be just the thing that sets you apart from other candidates.
Get help from others – It’s always beneficial to have someone else review your resume. Arapahoe/Douglas Works! is an excellent resource (www.adworks.org). The agency offers free workshops for job seekers. There is also a personalized resume review service available every Wednesday morning starting at 9:00 a.m.

Seek out your strengths – According to Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, in their book “Now, Discover Your Strengths”, only 20% of employees in large organizations feel that they are using their strengths every day. That means that 80% of workers are bored and unengaged most of the time. The authors explain that we need to change our way of thinking from “fixing” our weaknesses to “capitalizing on our strengths and manage around our weaknesses”. I highly recommend going through the exercises in the book to help you find your particular strengths. You can then apply this new knowledge about yourself in your job search to increase your likelihood of finding an opportunity that will keep you engaged and happy. For more information, visit www.marcusbuckingham.com.

Happy career discovery!