Think Positively

Positive thinking can be harder than it seems. Most of us let "reality" squash our career dreams before they've even had a chance to develop. You think of how nice it would be to go for your master's degree, but before you can even envision yourself in a cap and gown, you come up with a million reasons why you can't do it. Maybe you don't have enough time or money. Or you think you should wait until the kids are grown. Or you can't afford to cut back on work hours. Instead of listing all the reasons you can't do something, just this once, list all the reasons you can, and should. Maybe this degree will increase earning potential or open up exciting new career options. Maybe it'll help you to feel better about yourself.

Positive thinking takes practice. We all have negative thoughts from time to time, but it's possible to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones by following these simple guidelines.

Identify your negative thoughts. Negative ideas can spring into your mind so fast and so often that you are hardly even aware of them anymore. Consider the last dream or idea you rejected. Maybe you thought about asking for a new assignment at work. Write down all the excuses and problems you came up with to reject the idea. For example, perhaps you didn't ask for the new assignment because you'd never done anything similar before, didn't know if you could handle the extra workload, and you weren't sure if it was already assigned to someone else.

Weigh each excuse for validity. Take each item on the list and think through whether they are really obstacles that could block you from achieving your goals...or just excuses based on fear or procrastination. In the example above, not having enough experience could potentially keep you from getting the assignment. But fears about handling the extra workload or wondering if it has already gone to someone else will not prevent you from getting the assignment. Let's face it: they are simply excuses not to go for what you want.

Think of ways to overcome your obstacles. So you don't quite have the experience to take on the project. How can you overcome this? Maybe you are willing to cooperate with a coworker who does have the experience, so you can learn what you will need to know on this project and you can work independently the next time. Or maybe you can take on a smaller project until you build up to the one you want. If your dream assignment has indeed gone to someone else, try to develop a few main reasons why that person had the advantage over you. Perhaps there are areas for you to focus on going forward to improve your chances for the next opening.

Reclaim your dreams. Once you have successfully broken down all your excuses, re-imagine the dream. You are the savvy team leader of the most important assignment for the company. You handle it with expertise and efficiency. Is it still a dream that fits? Are you still interested in being the team leader? If so, it's yours for the taking.