Finding the right work takes great courage and perseverance. If you’re currently in the job market or thinking about a new career, you know how much inner strength and outer resources you must gather. Are your beliefs about your work search helping or hindering your success? Look at the fundamental assumptions that inform your thinking and every day actions. Are they serving you?

1.  What do you believe about the job market?

• Do you believe that people are finding suitable work despite the tough economic times?
• Do you believe there are great opportunities open to you given time, skill and persistence?

Your beliefs and attitudes about the marketplace are undoubtedly influenced by the many conversations going on about the economy, including messages produced by the media.

The shear amount of negative news reporting is astonishing. The same fear-based messages and viewpoints, constantly rehashed. Timothy Crouse aptly calls the tendency of news reporting to become pretty much identical - “pack journalism.” It perpetuates the gloom, resulting in a kind of collective, unexamined public thinking.

Rarely do we see, hear or read stories presented about resourcefulness, resiliency and creative problem-solving. An extremely small slice of the vast world of work is reported.

Tip—take care not to allow all the noise to throw you off-track and undermine your motivation to carry on.

Question—are you embracing defeatist beliefs that are being fed by external conversations and the media?

2.  What do you believe about your work life?

Take a close look at your personal beliefs. They can either help or hinder you. How you feel about your professional qualifications and your future prospects—is essential to your success. Do you have an optimistic mindset?

• Do you confidently believe that your abilities, skills and experience will qualify you for the work you seek?
• Do you believe you have real value to offer?
• Do you believe that you will eventually find that new job or contract work?

Doubts and fears normally arise in work search. Put them aside for a moment. **Do you believe that you are basically ready for the workplace? If not, what do you need to do?**

Tip—beliefs can change, but it will take focused effort. The key is to realize that negativity, pessimism and lack of self-confidence are not serving you. Build from that truth for change.

Question—are you embracing defeatist beliefs that are being fed by your inner conversations?

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807-1882)

Today’s question
Are you able to see that your success is possible?