Originally authored by Kate McGuinagle at Ms. Career Girl
Have you ever wondered how your mindset affects career outcomes? Maybe you’re nervous about taking a risk or maybe you’re the kind of person who looks at all new opportunities as a chance to grow. What if you could change your mindset to make your chances of career happiness even greater?
Our mindset plays a big part in what happens in our careers. What we believe to be true effects whether we take action towards a certain goal. Let’s look at a couple examples:
Let’s say you’re really unhappy at work and you’re ready to change jobs, but you don’t believe a job that suits you is out there. Why would you even bother looking if what you want is unattainable? If this is your mindset, you might never take action to look for a better job.
On the other hand, let’s say you’re unhappy at work, you’re ready to change jobs, and you feel confident that the right job for you is out there. Someone who feels this way is going to take action to reach the goal they believe in.
In order to get your head in the right place around your career, it’s important to make sure you keep a positive mindset. Here are some tips to help get you mentally ready.
1. Get enough sleep
It’s so easy to watch just one more show, or stay for just one more happy hour drink, and all of a sudden, the night’s run away with us again. Sure it’s fun to meet with friends or get lost in a good story once in a while, but if you find yourself up late every night, hitting snooze again and again, and barely able to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, you may find you’re doing yourself a disservice. Try to get a healthy bedtime routine going so that when it’s time for you to go to sleep, you’re tired and ready.
2. Give yourself time
Giving yourself 10 extra minutes in the morning could be all you need to feel like you’re not in a crazy rush and starting your day one step behind. Or maybe a 15-minute break from work where you stretch your legs or have a cup of tea with a friend gives you the break you need to feel less rushed throughout the day. The work will always be there, so figuring out what you can do to create more space and peacefulness around it will bring more ease to your mind and your career. Giving yourself a little extra space and time around your work will allow you to be more relaxed throughout the workday.
3. Practice gratitude
Neuroscientists have found gratitude to be one of the keys to a happy life. If we can apply this tool in our work, we can bring more joy and positivity to our careers. Rather than engaging complaining or gossip with coworkers, discuss what you appreciate about your day’s tasks, your office, and your colleagues. There will always be things you would like to change, but focusing on what we’re thankful for can drastically improve our careers. Be thankful for big and small work wins. Speak them aloud, write them down, or tell a friend.
4. Physically post a positive career statement
Posting a positive statement about one of your career goals will help keep your mindset focused for the week. Your positive statement should be future-oriented, and should contain pronouns like I, me and my. It could be anything career-related at all. Here are a few ideas:
+ The right job is out there for me.
+ I will rock Thursday’s presentation.
+ My next boss will respect me and value my work.
Posting your positive statement somewhere you will see it all week (or longer if needed) is a great way to keep your mind focused on your career goals.
5. Visualize your happy career future
Visualization is so powerful. Oprah Winfrey, Lindsey Vonn, Will Smith, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have all spoken about the value visualization has had on their lives and their career success. Close your eyes and imagine what you will be doing at your current or ideal job. Imagine your surroundings, how it looks and makes you feel, where you will be in the space. Take a few minutes to write the story of your happy future in your head and then get on with your day.
Create positive outcomes with your career mindset
It won’t take long to implement these tips into your life. They aren’t earth shattering; in fact, they are things that just make common sense. But, that doesn’t mean we’re doing all of them as we should. If you find you could create a more positive career mindset, I hope you will consider incorporating these tips into your life.