How To Fight Back And Succeed Against Your Career-Limiting Mindset

There are times in your career when you feel stuck. Although you may have attended a top college and done everything right, something’s amiss. You notice that your peers are passing you by. You haven’t received a promotion or raise, and nothing seems to be going right. It feels like you are slowly sinking into quicksand.

It could be that you are your own worst enemy. There may be psychological barriers that are holding you back on your forward trajectory in your career. These thoughts ruminating in your mind may include a loss of self-confidence, unrealistic fears, perpetual negative ideations, concerns over ageism, fear of failure, not possessing the right skills and overanalyzing everything.

Your inner thoughts can become toxic and career-limiting. When you’re already feeling unsafe and worried about being laid off, any setbacks can fuel your thoughts of self-doubt into inertia. By not taking any actions, you remain stuck in place. When you are not moving forward, you start regressing.

Fear of Failure

An unreasonable fear of failure, going into the unknown or sudden changes can inhibit you from taking measures to move forward. You start allowing negative thoughts to play on endless loops, leading to feelings of anxiety and insecurity. Overthinking can lead to analysis paralysis. After experiencing setbacks, you may doubt your abilities and believe that great success is solely for others, not you.

Believing that you are too old to change careers or pursue new opportunities or feeling that you lack the skills or knowledge necessary to pursue new opportunities can prevent you from taking action.

Take Action Now

It may be intimidating, but start right away with repurposing your career. Decide what you want to do. Think big and bold. Write down what you want to achieve and the steps you need to take. By writing it, you will feel bound to execute the plan.

Set up a meeting with human resources and your manager. Let them know you deserve a promotion, raise and higher title based on your work product and exceeding expectations. Have a frank discussion about what they have in mind for growing within the organization. Ask for juicy assignments that can fast-track your career. Find out if your company has a digital upskilling program that can help you advance.

If your employer is not in tune with your wants, start searching for a new job. Play the game by biding your time and acting as if everything is fine, so as not to get tapped if there’s a layoff.

Meanwhile, seek out recruiters who specialize in your sector and find a professional to write a smart résumé and LinkedIn profile. Hire a coach to assist you with role-playing interview questions and deftly navigating salary negotiations. Tap into your network to attain job leads, along with recommendations from insiders at the company.

By doing these things, you’ll feel empowered and more in control over your career. You’ll start becoming more positive and happier.

How To Change Your Mindset

To improve yourself and get back on track toward success, construct a growth mindset coupled with a desire to be the best you can be. Waiting and wishing for a change is wasted time. You need to take immediate action.

Rather than dwelling on the negatives, focus on your strengths. Look to past accomplishments and wins. When you start doubting yourself, substitute those thoughts with a time when you succeeded.

Consider using positive self-talk, mantras, affirmations and visualizations to make yourself feel better and in more control over your destiny. If you need help identifying your feelings and want outside input, speak with mentors, sponsors, family, friends and work colleagues. It may be awkward, but talking to people will get things off your chest, and they will most likely share similar stories, making you feel that you’re not the only one going through challenges. You can even explore therapy to combat your limiting beliefs.

If you’re not at your best, many people tend to forsake taking care of themselves. You need to focus on your mental, emotional, physical and emotional health. Maintain a mental inventory of when you overcame obstacles to remind yourself that you’ve persevered in the face of major hurdles. Instead of thinking of past failures, celebrate every little victory. Practice self-care. Think positive thoughts and focus on being optimistic.

Stop wallowing in the past, as it is done and over. You only have the present. Forgive and forget whoever wronged you and the mistakes you’ve made. You need to do this to move forward. Otherwise, it will continue to weigh you down.

Source: entrepreneur.com