Everyone gets jaded. I know, that statement alone demonstrates the point. But it is true! Especially in our careers. We start with the best of hope, excitement, and expectations. Then reality hits. Budgets aren’t what was planned for. Schedules get shifted. Suddenly, you’re being tasked to teach a class that you aren’t as knowledgeable in the subject as you hoped to be. You have demands on you by your boss, by the students’ parents, even by yourself. Any hope for change in your career fades as each year passes into the next. Then, someone like me comes along to talk about rekindling the wonder of your career. You are thinking to yourself, who lives in a world like that? I’m not sure I could get that wonderment back even if I wanted to. Is it even possible?
Yes it is. You can get the wonder back in your career. The same principles apply for your friendships, family, marriage, and personal aspirations. It starts with a transformation of your mind.
- Start with going all the way back to the beginning. Remember why you wanted to do what you are doing. Put that into words. This is part of your purpose. Your why. Don’t think about the disappointments along the way, just remember the wonder and joy you felt when you thought about this career.
- Remove negative messages in your life. You get bombarded with hundreds of negative messages each day. Those messages aren’t designed to lift you up and build into you. Just the opposite. Do your best to reduce your exposure to them and instead, expose yourself to positive, life-giving messages. This might mean reducing your news-watching time, or limiting time on your social media.
- Focus each day on one thing you can do this day to move yourself toward a positive, intentional, proactive mindset in your career. At the end of the day, be intentional about recapping your experiences. Look for the positive experiences and reaffirm that in your successful implementation of your goal for that day.