Career, Leadership

Not reaching Your Career Goals?

Every day people we come into contact with influence us. Our partners, family, friends, and co-workers all have an effect on our thinking and self-esteem. Day in and day out these people influence us more than we realize. 

Consider for a moment you are excitedly discussing with your partner applying for a promotion. As you discuss the option, they may voice trepidations about you being successful, or mention you would have to work a lot more hours, or maybe you are not ready to take on this new position. The more they voice these negative thoughts, the more unsure you become about applying for the position. After the discussion, you decide not to apply for the promotion because you now feel unsure of yourself and your abilities.

Related: Why We All Need Self Management (It’s Not What You Think!)

When we interact with negative people we listen to their opinions however, it is up to us to stay positive-minded and continue to move forward with our goals and plans. It is important to not allow other’s negativity or bad habits to give us excuses not to live the life we want or to lower expectations of ourselves.

According to the law of averages, when a group is together, they will have similar interests, desires, and goals. This makes sense as a group would not be together if they were significantly different.

However, what would happen if the people or group you interact with the most, your family, friends, or co-workers, are pessimists? As we are influenced by people who are around us, over time we will also begin to take on their traits and be more like them. Their thoughts and actions can influence our own thinking, self-esteem, and our decisions.

Though a common thread is to dump negative people from our lives and interact with more positive-minded people, this is not aways possible. We can move forward with our goals and ambitions even if interacting with negative-minded people. We just have to stay true to our personal sense of ambition and drive, and stay true to our own strengths.

Though not everything is about being driven and successful, it is good to keep our goals in the forefront of our mind when interacting with negative people.

We may not be able to leave friends and family behind or avoid them altogether, but we could limit time spent with them. We can also limit how much we discuss our goals, desires, and ambitions with them.

Related: Career Success and Your Personal Value Statement

Think about your ideal self and what qualities you want to have. If you currently have limited interactions with people who have these qualities, begin to surround yourself with people with these qualities. You don’t have to know them in person, you may only know of their work, such as Einstein, Mother Teresa, Franklin D. Roosevelt, or Bill Gates.

The people you surround yourself with do matter.

If you are not able to learn directly from the people you admire, begin reading their books, listen to their podcasts, and watch their videos. Use visualization and act out how the people you admire would respond in your situations. The more you begin to think and act like your mentors, the more you will become like them.

It may feel awkward initially, but soon your mind will shift to a new level and a new way of thinking. People will notice changes in you and you will begin to attract more people who think in the same way. By choosing to interact and educate yourself from like-minded people, soon you will be like them.

Think about how you go about learning skills. What is the best method for you? In person, reading books, watching videos, or listening to podcasts? Is it a combination of some or all? Please share your experiences to help others move forward toward their goals and dreams.

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