Mindset matters: Staying motivated and keeping your self-esteem in check

Set your SMART goals

Once you’ve taken the time to set (and write down!) your SMART goals, it’s time to turn those plans into action. But how do you get and stay motivated to achieve your job search goals?

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me?”

– Ayn Rand

Arming yourself with some good old-fashioned optimism and a good attitude will do wonders to keep you motivated and in the right mindset during your job search.

People who are optimistic tend to have a good attitude and people with good attitudes generally:

Look for opportunities

Always look after themselves

Use their skills to continue developing, learning and improving

Go the extra mile – put in extra effort

Hold themselves responsible for their successes and failures Set goals giving themselves a sense of direction and purpose

The more you LAUGH, the more good habits you form

By keeping optimistic and remembering to apply the LAUGHS attributes to all that you do, you’ll keep on track with your motivation. The best bit? The more you apply the LAUGHS attributes, the easier and more natural habits they become in your daily life, keeping you motivated in more than just your job search.

Attitude is everything

It’s important to remember that one of the most important qualities employers look for is an employee with the right attitude. The more you keep optimistic and LAUGH-ing in your daily activities, your positive attitude will shine through – something that potential employers will take notice of and value.

Get your self-esteem in-check

The esteem in which we hold ourselves is the single most important factor in determining our success and happiness. Simply put, you get what you think you deserve. If you know that you deserve success, that is precisely how you will think and act.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

– J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Here are some methods you can use – beginning today – to help you raise your self-esteem:

• Say to yourself each day that you and only you determine your self-worth. Don’t ever judge yourself based on the opinions of others.
• Learn to welcome failure. High self-esteem comes from the belief that all obstacles are lessons rather than proof of your incompetence as a person. Remember that you are not a failure as a person simply because you failed at something.
• Stop the negative self-talk of telling yourself “I’ll probably look stupid” and “I can’t do it”. Correct yourself mid-sentence if you catch yourself saying negative statements.
• Take small risks each day and praise yourself for doing so, regardless of the outcome. Simply remind yourself how terrific you are for taking the risk.
• Be more assertive and stop asking permission. As an adult asking permission means giving responsibility and control to someone else over you. It’s difficult to hold yourself in high esteem when there is no self-esteem.
• Reduce your emphasis on material things as a measure of success. If your self-esteem is based on what you have, then you will always suffer from the disease called “more”. Your esteem as a person is a matter of attitudes, not accumulations and until you really understand this, you will always lack self-esteem.
• Keep in mind each and every day, there are no ordinary moments. Every experience of your life should be enjoyed. When you learn to think in this way, you will never doubt your own worth because you will see fully that you yourself are extraordinary.

(By Wayne Dyer (Ph.D), author of Your Erroneous Zones and Pulling Your Own Strings)

Take the time to arm yourself with the right tools

Whilst there’s no arguing that finding a job isn’t always a straightforward, simple process, the good news is that by taking some time to get yourself set up with the above mindset tactics, you will be armed with the right tools to not only help you feel better about your job search but also to achieve your goals faster and smarter!

Ready to find a co-pilot that listens to your needs?

If you’re looking for a supportive employment services provider who takes the time to listen to your individual needs and is with you every step of the way, get in touch with our friendly team today.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
• Headspace on 1800 650 890
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978