“I’m not sure I can handle that.” “I’m afraid if I go for it, I might fail.” “I’m scared if this changes, I won’t know how to respond.” Any of these thoughts sound familiar? Maybe a bit too familiar for some of us. Unless you are exceedingly confident, you may have thoughts of uncertainty while making a big career move. Just don’t let these negative thoughts become a reality.

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Howard Goldstein of Sandler Training states, “Each time you entertain a negative thought about your ability to achieve a goal, solve a problem, or deal with any situation, you’re poisoning your own well—filling your subconscious with negative unproductive thoughts that it eventually accepts as FACTS, despite the lack of any evidence as such.”

How does this play out in your next career move? Your personal perception shapes your personal reality. If you constantly second guess your potential, you will only make it as far as you allow yourself or you believe you can. Telling yourself, “I’ll never get that job” or “That company probably wouldn’t hire me,” you are setting yourself up for limited career mobility. Don’t let these “poisonous” thoughts put a stop to your goals.

Is there an anecdote to the poison of negativity? One idea offered in Goldstein’s article is to push through the doubt and set specific goals to conquer your fears. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret to life.” Go for it. Take the bull by the horns and conquer whatever is holding you back from taking the next step in your career. Sounds easy, right? Sometimes it isn’t so simple.

Not everyone has the zest to just “push through” their fears. One piece of advice when it isn’t that easy is to start with recognizing and questioning your fears. Try writing down what makes you scared to go for your dream job. Are you afraid you won’t be able to perform? Forcing yourself into awareness of your fears and the source of that fear can lead to the realization that those things may not be so scary after all, or that your reason for being scared isn’t as significant as you imagined.

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Finally, tell yourself you can do it, literally. Have you ever heard the saying, “you are what you repeatedly do?”  Trick your subconscious into going after your goals by continuously reminding yourself that you are capable. Whether or not you completely believe it in the beginning, telling yourself that you are capable of accomplishing your goals can only bring you closer to triumph.

Are your fears holding you back from your dream job? Tell us how fear may have affected your latest career move.

Happy Hunting!