The Purposeful Career Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep 035: How to Make Decisions in Uncertain Times Aug 21, 2021

Show notes

Today I want to talk about how Decisions in Uncertainty.

As we all know, life is a constant lesson in uncertainty. And we kind of get used to it, right?

We’re all aware that we never know what’s around the corner. What tomorrow will bring. Or even if we WILL be here tomorrow.

But as we grow up or grow into situations, we get used to what I call “the uncertainty we know.” We’re all pretty resilient when you think about it. We get used to kind of not being in control of what might happen to us.

I mean, if we didn’t, we literally wouldn’t be able to leave the house.

Because what might happen if we step off the sidewalk? That speeding car might run the red light.

Or merge our car onto the highway at 70 miles per hour.

Or take the new job that we’re a little scared we might not be able to excel at.

Or move to the new city where we don’t know anyone.

We don’t REALLY know how the NEW things we try are going to work out.

We HOPE for a specific outcome, but inside, we KNOW it might not turn out the way we want.

And yet, we get used to facing these ‘familiar’ unknowns. I call them the KNOWN unknowns.

And this helps us to get on with the business of our life.

It helps us make decisions about our future, both big and small, while not being sure if it’s all going to turn out okay.

We get comfortable playing the hand we’re dealt. And even when we didn’t know what card we might be dealt next, we’ve learned to place bets and make decisions so we could keep moving forward.

But what happens when we face NEW Unknowns?

Like Covid.

That just might be the biggest UNKNOWN of the last several decades.

I mean, it’s been surreal.

Think back just two years ago, to September of 2019.

Who could’ve predicted that just six months later, the entire WORLD would shut down in like…two weeks?

Restaurants closed.

Grocery shelves emptied.

Sports seasons cancelled.

Kids in virtual school.

No proms, graduation ceremonies or any of the other rites of passage we could always count on.

We were all living in a dystopian Hollywood pandemic movie. Except it was real.

The entire world entered a period of an EXTREME NEW UNKNOWN.

And it kind of sucked.

Covid snatched all our BAU playing cards and flung them up in the air. We could no longer count on ANYTHING we’d previously taken for granted.

But what’s interesting is the different ways people handled it.

A huge segment of the population kind of hit the PAUSE button on their life. They stopped making decisions about the future – no vacation planning, no weekend activity planning, new job searches, no nothing. Instead, and I’ll include myself in this for a good part of that time, we kind of hunkered down and WAITED.

Waited for a vaccine.

Waited for mask mandates to be lifted.

Waited for companies to start hiring again.

Waited for it to be safe to travel to see friends and family.

Basically, this part of the population DECIDED to WAIT instead of using the time as a way to reflect on new possibilities.

And that’s what’s at the heart of it right? We DECIDED to WAIT.

But not everyone handled it that way.

There’s a good percentage of people who DECIDED to Make Plans. Even amid the closed businesses, the loss of jobs, the illness, the children studying at home. They kept making decisions about their future.

They saw the shutting down of t

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Ep 034: How Others Label Us (#2 of 2) Aug 14, 2021

Show notes

Today is the second in our two-part series on Labeling.

Last week, we looked at “why we label others, how it impacts us (and others)…and how to stop doing it.”

In that, we explored the origins of labeling as it relates to our human brain.

We learned that our instinct to label comes from the primitive part of our brain and that in ancient times, this ability to “INSTANTLY categorize” people and situations actually served a purpose. It helped our caveman ancestors recognize danger so they could make decisions to keep themselves safe.

This tendency to ‘instantly label’ for modern man is counterproductive except for maybe those situations things like our brain labeling it a “super bad idea” to walk down the dark alley alone.

But other than those types of situational things, labeling doesn’t serve us in the modern world we live in. And in fact, when we label others, it keeps us apart from others because we’re standing in judgment instead of looking for opportunities to connect or learn more about someone.

And for the person BEING labeled, it’s even worse. Labels hold people back and isolate them from opportunity and relationships.

Bottom line, we don’t want to be the person who assigns instant and unfair labels to others.

And yet, the impulse to do that comes from the part of our brain that is ALL ABOUT instinct. The fight or flight part. The part of your brain that just instantly REACTS, without you even realizing it, because it wants to avoid danger or things that are unfamiliar.

So, if it’s instinctive, how do we stop it?

We stop it by becoming aware of the fact that you’re doing it.

And by deciding to consciously NOT do that by taking steps to counteract that instinctive part of your brain. We talked about how to do that in our last episode. So, if you haven’t listened to episode 33 yet, please go back and do that because I think you’ll find the self-exploratory questions and tips on how to fight that urge to label super helpful.

Now in TODAY’S episode, we’re going to look at what happens when WE get labeled. And there’s two ways that happen.

First, we label ourselves.

And second, we get labeled by others (just like WE label THEM).

As you know, my business is all about helping people understand that having the career and life you want comes FROM YOU. We create our success FROM THE INSIDE OUT. This is not how we think it works. We think our success comes from finding that elusive combination of ideal circumstances.

I know that’s what I thought for a long time.

But it’s not true. If we want to achieve our goals or have the success working for others or for ourselves, it requires us to be STRONG from the inside out.

The reason this is important is that it takes real awareness and practiced effort to overcome our brain’s primal instinct to be overly critical of ourselves. Or, to stay strong when we’re around people or in an environment that for whatever reason, doesn’t welcome who we are.

Because when we’re talking career we have to acknowledge that it involves people and people aren’t perfect.

We’re going to encounter bullies.

People who say rude things.

People who stab us in the back.

Teachers or bosses who tell us we “can’t” do something or who are unfairly critical.

Internal politics and organizational power structures that – whether intentional are not – are meant to ‘label’ others as a way of determining whether you’ll b

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Ep 033: How and Why We Label Others (and how to stop) #1 of 2 Aug 08, 2021

Show notes

Today, I want to talk about LABELS because it holds so many of us back in our careers and lives.

So let’s start by discussing the definition of labeling.

For psychologists, labeling is defined as a way of compartmentalizing people based on attributes, situations, or behaviors. This happens in families, groups and society as a whole.

As humans, our need to label runs deep.

It goes back to our primitive or reptilian brain, the part of our brain that’s evolved over the Millenia. The part that’s responsible for self-preservation.

So, for our caveman ancestors, this ability to quickly sort people and situations into categories was super helpful.

Lion equals danger.

Member of opposing tribe equals caution.

It helped them avoid danger and gave them a sense of control because the instantaneous labeling of a person or situation gave them a way to predict what MIGHT HAPPEN and specifically, whether or not it could cause them harm. And once they assigned that label, it helped them categorize similar future things in the same way. Thereby preserving their safety and ensuring survival of the species.

Psychologists say that our tendency to label begins in infancy and continues as we grow and develop.

So, it’s programmed in. A product of our environment, family, friends, schooling, socio-economic status, societal views and more.

But unlike our caveman ancestors, this primal need to ‘label’ is not so helpful to modern man because it causes us to make SNAP JUDGMENTS that don’t always serve us or others.

Yet we do it all the time.

That driver who cut you off in traffic on the way to work, you might label a ‘bad driver.’

That colleague who’s always up on and sharing the latest rumors, you might label ‘toxic.’

That boss who’s constantly changing their mind, you might label a ‘bad manager.’

Labeling is an extreme form of all or nothing thinking. Because when we assign labels, we’re over simplifying. That person or experience is either THIS or THAT. When in reality, it’s usually BOTH or MANY things.

And when we try to oversimplify people or situations, we limit them. This can have harmful side effects for ourself AND for the person we’re judging.

When we label others, we close ourselves off to ALL that someone ACTUALLY IS by narrowing in on only ONE aspect of who they are based on a specific situation we’ve experienced or behavior we’ve seen them do.

And the risk is that once we label that person, we DO NOT ALLOW ourselves to see anything else about them, when in fact there is ALWAYS MUCH MORE, we could discover about them if we were open to it.

There’s ALWAYS MUCH MORE COMMON GROUND we could find if we looked for it. If we avoided assigning the limiting label to that person and instead allowed ourselves to discover who they are in the FULLEST context.

So, when we label, we close ourselves off to other possibilities. Because we convince ourselves that the label is all a person IS or will EVER BE.

So, let’s say you labeled someone based on a bad experience you had with them.

When you believe that label is TRUE, you close yourself off to believing that maybe that bad experience was just a single event. You also close yourself off to the possibility that there were other factors that contributed to how that person showed up within that experience. Factors you’re NOT aware of.

A bad experience or an unfortunate characteristic you see about someone is not

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Ep 032: How to Create Self Confidence Aug 01, 2021

Show notes

Today I want to talk to you about something that’s foundational to having the career or business you want. And that is self-confidence. Because you aren’t going to get very far if you don’t believe you can.

Most of us believe that people are either CONFIDENT or they’re NOT.

That SELF-CONFIDENCE is an attribute we’re born with.

But it’s not.

Self-confidence is a skill we develop if we choose.

And it’s definitely a skill WORTH developing because being self-confident is linked to having greater success, making more money and overall having a happier and more satisfying life and career.

I’ve got a lot to share on this topic and it’s something that affects so many people, so let’s dive in.

The first thing I want to share is that there’s a difference between CONFIDENCE and SELF CONFIDENCE. And it’s very possible to have ONE without the OTHER.

But before I share the difference, I want to first share what both words have in common and that is, that confidence comes from the Latin word meaning TRUST. So, confidence is about having TRUST in yourself and your abilities.

But where they differ is that CONFIDENCE is backward-looking, and SELF-CONFIDENCE is forward-looking.

You gain confidence through experience.

You learn to trust or have confidence in your ability to DO SOMETHING when you’ve already successfully done or achieved it before.

Self-Confidence on the other hand, IS FORWARD-LOOKING. It’s about having belief or trust in yourself and your ability to do things even though you’ve never done them before.

So, confidence is based on having tangible proof. That’s where KNOWING you can do it comes from. Whereas, self-confidence is about a having faith or TRUST in your ABILITY to do something; to figure it out.

So, if your boss asks you to lead an initiative and you’ve successfully done dozens just like it before, you are very confident in your ability to be successful at that thing.

You’re probably not going to worry whether you can do it, wonder whether others will judge or criticize you or get stuck in indecision or overwhelm. No, you’ve done it. So, you know you’re going to rock it.

But if your boss asks you to go do something new that you HAVEN’T done before and you’re NOT a self-confident person, you might feel the instant flare-up of self-doubt. And you’ll wonder things like “what if I can’t do it?” “what if I look foolish?” And even when you dive in, you’ll likely continue to torture yourself a bit with those doubt.

Whereas if you ARE self-confident and your boss asks you to go do something new you haven’t done before, you immediately start thinking about how to go do it. You’ll plan it out, chunk down the actions, pull other people in who’s skills or experience you need, put it on a timeline and then go do it.

Look at the difference between the NOT self-confident you and the Self-confident you in these examples. The NOT self-confident you is full of anxiety and tortured thoughts that make your life so miserable even if you DO manage to get the thing done you’ll feel miserable doing it. Whereas with SELF confident you, there’s no drama, because you’re too busy figuring out how to do it to even wonder about all the what if’s that could go wrong.

I’m thinking we’d all rather be the self-confident one, right?

The non-self confident one is probably going to learn to be overly reliant on feeling confident whereas the SELF confident one is going to become gre

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Ep 031: Ask the Coach: "I don't know what to do with my career" Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to this bonus episode of the podcast, which I’m calling Ask the Coach.
Like I've said, we’re experimenting with this new segment, which I’ll plan to do the last Wednesday of the next few months. If you like it, we’ll keep doing it.

You guys submit your questions to me and I’ll answer them. They can be about anything related to your career from job searching and purpose to getting promoted, getting laid off or changing career paths. Even starting a side hustle or business. Whatever you want to know more about or get a different perspective on, fire away. I’m here for ya.

SO, TODAY’s question is definitely the one I get asked most frequently so, I wasn’t surprised when several came in that were sort of similar. They all centered around the theme “I don’t know what to do with my career.”

Now there were several versions of this questions.

“I don’t know what I’m good at.”

“I don’t know what I SHOULD be doing.”

“I don’t know my purpose.”

They’re all dancing around the same question of how to know what to do with the time you spend working.

So, let’s dive into the answer. Because there are three parts of this that I want to address.

The first part is the “I don’t know” part of the question.

Because this is something most of us do at one point or another and most of us aren’t connected to the issues it causes.

Now I know when we’re trying to figure out something important and we think “I don’t know”, it certainly feels true. I’ve been there many times myself, believe me. Not just as it relates to career but also to relationships and other things.

But the issue is “I don’t knowing” yourself is a very good way to get stuck. That’s because when you tell yourself “I don’t know” you’re turning off or ignoring the part of you that DOES know. The intuition part.

After all, YOU are the one who knows YOU best. So, the answer to what you’re great at or what you want to do with your work life HAS to come from you. That’s the only way to be sure that you’re doing something that’s aligned with your unique gifts, wants, desires. I mean, none of us want to spend 30-40 years doing what someone ELSE wants us to do with our life, right? What we do with our life gets to be about us. Never forget that.

The other thing about this is, I believe we all KNOW what we’re good at and what we’re interested in. Sometimes we just don’t allow ourselves to KNOW it.

Now that doesn’t mean you’re doing it on purpose. You’re not. ”I don’t knowing” yourself is usually an automatic thought our brain will serve up as a way to protect you from the implications of what would happen or what scary things you’d need to do, learn, master or try if you DID KNOW.

Think about it for a minute. If you “don’t know” you don’t have to do anything hard or scary or where you might fail.

But if you DID know, you’d have to put yourself out there and try or live with the fact that you were too scared to do it.

I don’t know is a protection mechanism. Self preservation.
To hear more, give the episode a listen!

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Ep 030: How to Be Okay During Times of Uncertainty Jul 25, 2021

Show notes

Today I want to talk about Being in Uncertainty.

I was originally going to talk about something different but with the news of the virus being on the upswing in almost every state (and around the world) and with that, delays in returning to the office and putting a return to the classrooms in question, I know this is something that would be helpful for everyone.

It’s been quite the year of uncertainty for everyone with Covid. We weren’t sure if our family or friends would stay healthy. We dealt with shortages of goods, services, HOMES! Parents learned to do double duty as teachers. Kids gave up sporting events. And we all sequestered in our homes feeling isolated and UNCERTAIN.

And in the work context, many of us were thrown into virtual work. In person meetings turned into Zoom. Some people lost their jobs altogether leaving them in uncertainty as to when hiring would even restart.

It’s been a year of over-the-top uncertainty. But the truth is, our lives and our careers are ALWAYS uncertain. No matter how hard we plan or how faithfully we follow that plan or how hard we work or whatever, we are not always in control of what happens to us.

And while we all know that the future is uncertain. That we can’t know what it waiting for us up ahead, we’re always surprised and unsettled when the unexpected happens. And that’s when uncertainty flares up, right? When we are suddenly forced to deal with the unexpected. And I would say that most of the time it’s not only when the unexpected happens but more specifically, the unwelcome thing happens.

Covid. The layoff. The reorg. The new boss. And when it happens, we feel uncertain.

But what IS uncertainty exactly?

I looked up the Webster's definition and it wasn’t helpful. It described it as a “state of being uncertain.” Wikipedia’s was right on point though. It described it as a ‘Measurement of risk. A state of limited knowledge where it is impossible to exactly describe the existing state or a future outcome; where some possible outcomes have an undesired effect or could represent a significant loss.’

Interesting right?

So, when we’re uncertain, it’s really because we’re looking at the thing that just happened and not able to know, with certainty, what our future will bring.

That’s because right behind the uncertain is a feeling of being out of control. We no longer feel that the things we used to be able to count on – our routines, our plans, our daily habits. Now we’re living in a different reality. One we didn’t create. One where we’re not in charge of everything that might unfold. And one that might not turn out the way we want.

Uncertainty creates a feeling of being out of control which makes us uncomfortable and at worst, fearful. When we experience uncertainty, most of us try to reduce this feeling of discomfort by trying to take control.

For example, one of my clients, when faced with nonstop rumors of a major reorganization that was thought to be imminent, dealt with it by spinning up an aggressive job search. Unable to deal with the anxiety of waiting to see what might happen and whether it could actually work in her favor, she soothed herself by applying for job after job after job, telling herself that if change was coming, she’d rather be the one to choose it instead of having it foisted off on her.

This is of course not the reason to do something as important as changing jobs. The truth is underneath her feverish applications was a deep need for

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Ep 029: How to Learn to Doubt Your Self-Doubt Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

If you’re a regular listener, you know I’m all about helping people build a career or business they love. And while I do share strategies and approaches that address your career or business broadly, I go deep in the one area that I KNOW holds most of us back in some way. And that’s about overcoming self-doubt and building strong self-confidence.

The reason I focus on this is because self-doubt is an issue that affects most of us at some point in our lives. In fact, research shows more than 85% of us contend with self-doubt. Some of us might experience self-doubt occasionally – like when we experience a big change like a new position or a promotion or whatever. But for many of us, self-doubt is our constant wing man. And when that happens, it can really do a number not only on your career or business potential, but on your self-esteem. Even if it’s only in a specific area right now, if it goes unaddressed, that self-doubt can creep into all areas of your life.

That’s because our Inner Critic is INSIDE our head. So, the things it whispers to us feel TRUE. If you want to know a bit more about the ways to quiet your Inner Critic, check out episode #6 – Soothing your Inner Critic.

When you listen to that episode, you’ll learn that silencing or banishing your Inner Critic isn’t really possible. In fact, it’s really best to try to understand your Inner Critic and soothe it a bit so it calms down. Because all it’s really trying to do it keep you safe. So you can’t banish it. Those neural pathways are already established. If you want to know more how THAT works, check out episode #25 on Thought Pathways. That’ll help you understand how recurring patterns of thought – in this case, your self-doubt – happen and how they get stronger and stronger through repetitive use.

But today I want to talk about Self Doubt from another perspective. And that is how you can Learn to Doubt Your Self Doubt.

So, let’s dive in.

Most of contend with our Inner Critic at times. Usually when we try something new. Or experience a next level growth spurt. Or perhaps when we’re in a situation where we are thrust to the forefront in some way – like a speaking opportunity or a big meeting where we have a chance to share our ideas (or not).

This is when self-doubt kicks in. And we find ourselves wondering:

What if I mess up?

What if they think my idea is dumb?

What if I’m wrong?

Who am I to [fill in the blank]?

And you know if you’re asking yourself those questions, it’s because your Inner Critic has started its monologue inside your head, saying things like:

You’re not smart enough.

You’re not talented enough.

You’re not GOOD enough.

So, what do you do?

You stay silent.

You DON’T try the new thing.

Or speak up at the meeting.

Or disagree with the opinion of others.

Or apply for the new job.

Or whatever.

And then what happens? You stay right where you are. Playing small. Doing what you’ve always done but never discovering what you COULD be doing. Far too many of us sell ourselves short because we’ve convinced ourselves we don’t have what it takes to succeed.

The truth is self-doubt is the killer of dreams. Because it keeps you from ever attempting them.

And if you let your Inner Critic stay in charge, the self-doubt will become the executioner of your self-belief. You’ll move from fear you might fail into a deep belief that you aren’t capable. And there’s nothing wor

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Ep 028: How to Bounce Back from Tough Things Jul 11, 2021

Show notes

Last week we talked about Managing Disappointment. This is a super important skill to cultivate in your career and life. Because we all face ups and downs. And it’s how we manage the downs that make the difference between staying hopeful and possibility oriented or sinking into disbelief and low self-confidence.

If you haven’t listened to episode 27 on Managing Disappointment, you might want to give that a listen first. In that, we share that the key to managing disappointment is to shift your focus from the disappointment to a learning experience. And we offer some ways to do that. It’s worth a listen because if there’s one thing a career is chock full of, it’s opportunities to manage disappointment.

And I thought an important follow-on to last week’s episode was to discuss Resilience, which is a fancy way of saying being great at bouncing back.

So, let’s dive in.

In the simplest of terms, Resilience is the ability to overcome negative events. According to a study at Ohio State University, more than 80% of us believe we have high levels of emotional and mental resilience, but when tested, less than 60% of us score high for resilience.

After the year we’ve all had with Covid, people getting sick and dying, all of us getting thrown into remote work, some of us losing our jobs, children out of school, parents in the role of teacher, all of us feeling isolated from family, friends, and social situations. Well, it’s been a little much, right?

And while the world is still facing the headwinds of the virus, we’re starting to get back to the business of life. We’re returning to work. Kids are returning to the classrooms. People out of work are finding jobs. It’s great to see.

The world is bouncing back.

So, have you stopped to think about how well you managed through Covid and its aftermath?

Or think about other things – big and small – that have happened in your career or life. How well do you bounce back? Does it take you awhile? Do you stay stuck in defeat and disappointment, or do you spring back in short order?

Many of us believe that people are either resilient or we’re not. But that’s not true.

Resilience isn’t something we’re born with. It’s something we cultivate. Something we can build.

So let’s look at what’s underneath resilience.

Resilient people are good at regulating their emotions and staying calm under pressure. This helps to keep their head clear which leads to better problem-solving.

So how do you get good at regulating your emotions?

By mastering the art of self-control. This means, the ability to manage impulses, emotions, and behaviors so they work to your advantage vs. hold you back.

As humans, our ability to do that is found in the pre-frontal cortex. This is the part of the brain that’s highly developed in humans. It lets people plan and evaluate vs. just respond to impulse (which is caused by the Reptilian Brain.

Self-control is about taking power over your own actions and learning to ignore the urges or immediate impulses to just react. No matter how powerful they might be.

This self-control gives you the ability to direct your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors toward your desired outcome vs. just responding impulsively in a way that might make you feel better in the short-term, but which might lead to outcomes you don’t want.

Our career (and our live for that matter) is full of opportunities to exercise our self-control and will power.

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Ep 027: How to Manage Disappointment & Not Get Stuck Jul 04, 2021

Show notes

This week, I’m LOVING the breakthrough one of my clients had.

You know, that’s one of my favorite things about being a coach. And it’s why I’ve always loved leading and mentoring people in my corporate career.

You get to experience people’s growth and evolution and personal victories up close.

Watching people turn a goal or dream into reality is so inspiring for me. I love movies and shows and books about people who try to do something big, go all out to make it happen and when it DOES…it’s such an incredible high.

There’s always something you can learn by watching people as they strive for new things and go through the inevitable ups and downs on their way to that goal.

And this client’s journey was even more inspiring because it wasn’t about her achieving the big thing she was going for.

It was about how she processed through NOT achieving it.

How she handled the disappointment she felt not only with grace and ease but maybe more importantly, the way she worked to find the lessons that could help her in the future.

Life doesn’t always turn out as planned. We all know that.

But it’s how we HANDLE THAT REALITY and what we DO with that, that determines whether we keep moving forward, keep showing up, keep a good attitude, keep our drive and motivation…

Or, whether we just kind of give up.

Tell ourselves things never work out for us.

Or we just don’t have what it takes.

Or that it’s all somebody else’s fault.

We all know somebody who’s stuck in Disappointment.

They WANTED (very much) something specific to happen and it DIDN’T.

Now, it’s all they can think about and talk about.

They’re blaming their boss. Or their colleagues. Or their partner. Or whatever.

And it’s sad and exhausting to watch, right?

Maybe it’s even happened with you. I know it has with me at times in my past.

You can just get stuck in the spinning, the anger, the blame, the victimhood.

And I don’t know if there’s anything more tragic.

It’s a waste of energy and frankly, our time on this planet.

It keeps us from realizing our true potential.

It holds us back because we’re so focused on what DIDN’T happen that we stop thinking about our future possibilities because we’re stuck in our past.

That’s why today, I want to talk to you about Accepting Disappointment.

Because when you learn how to get good at this, when you learn how to effectively manage through things when they DON’T go your way, it will make all the difference in what your future life looks like.

So, let’s dive in.

I think the first clue about what’s difficult about disappointment is found in the Webster’s definition of it. According to Webster's, disappointment is ‘unhappiness stemming from the failure of something hoped for or expected to happen’.”

But in my opinion, the psychologist’s definition lands right on the mark. Psychologists describe it as “a form of sadness; a feeling of loss stemming from a gap between our expectations and reality.”

The gap between our expectations and reality. That says it all.
For more, give it a listen!

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Ep 026: Thought Alignment (How Our Thoughts Work #4 of 4) Jun 27, 2021

Show notes

Over the last three episodes, we’ve been exploring the role our thoughts play in moving us forward or holding us back.

So, if you haven’t listened to those yet, I encourage you to go back to Episode 23 as that’s the beginning of our Thought Series.

And as we’ve discussed all through this series, our career and life will go in the direction of our consistent patterns of thought.

We’re not taught this.

We don’t think life works that way.

We’re taught that the way we feel and our ability to be successful come mostly from EXTERNAL things.

Like our boss liking us.

Or our company being healthy.

Or sometimes we attribute it to ourselves in the actions we take or don’t take.

But what if I told you there was something that comes BEFORE those things.

Something INTERNAL.

Something that you ALONE control.

Interesting huh?

The idea that you can truly chart your own destiny. That it isn’t dependent on a specific person or being in the right place at the right time or whatever. Sure, those things don’t hurt, but that’s not the key. And that’s good news because if it WAS, it would mean our ability to have the success we want would be completely outside our control.

The key is HOW WE THINK about our career, our possibilities, our capabilities.

And trust me when I say that this is the key to unlocking not only your TRUE POTENTIAL but it’s also the key to being able to achieve everything you dream of.

This week, we’re closing out the Thought Series by talking about Thought Alignment.

So, let’s dive in.

This is one of my favorite topics when it comes to how our thinking affects our lives. Because the simple truth is, and this whole episode comes down to one simple thought, WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF MATTERS.

And, HOW OFTEN YOU SAY IT MATTERS.

Because as we discussed in the last episode, the repetition and consistency of our thoughts become deeply entrenched Thought Pathways in our brain. We know from neuroscience that this biology. Quite simply, it’s how our brains work.

So Thought Navigation, this week’s topic, is about the importance of aligning our thoughts with the direction we want to go so we ensure we actually GET THERE.

Let’s look at how high-performing athletes or successful businesspeople achieve top tier levels of success. When we look at them from our perspective, we tend to look at the actions they take or things they do.

And then we say, “Well, there’s lots of different ways to go about being successful. Everyone does it differently.”

To some extent it’s true in that we all have unique strengths to bring to that thing.

But if you look deeper at the inner life – the MINDS – of the most successful or accomplished athletes or businesspeople, you’d find one common thread.

The key to their success is about the way they USE or DIRECT their mind. They don’t leave their thoughts or beliefs about themselves, to chance. They are intentional not only about WHAT THEY WANT TO DO but also ABOUT THEIR DEEP BELIEF AND COMMITMENT IN THEIR ABILITY TO DO IT.

NO. MATTER. WHAT.

You see, when we commit to BEING our best, most high-performing self, we’re able to FIND that capability within ourselves. We take actions that are aligned with being our best. We DO our best consistently. And as a result, we BECOME our best self.

Thought Alignment is about choosing to believe in our ability to DO the things we want to do. And

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Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

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