Dealing With Discouragement - Daily Renewal Of Your Purpose

by Kevin T Buckley, CPC

At certain moments in your job search it can seem like you are making no progress; potential employers are not available to speak with, recruiters are not able to provide information, no feedback and no prospects seems to be the status quo.

This is the time when holding to your goal with positive determination in your mind can seem the most difficult thing to do, and it is the time when it is most important to remember your successes and renew your purpose, daily.

The fact is that you have a lot to offer your next employer. Your experience, your skills, your character and your personality are being strengthened through this time of testing; you will prevail and you will find what you are seeking.

Remember that adversity lasts only for a time. Eventually, the clouds lift and the sun shines again. Turn for support to the ideas and words of those people who have weathered tough times and found within themselves the means to persevere towards achieving their goals.

The mental image that you hold of yourself can be nourished through reflecting on the wisdom of those who experienced similar trials and tribulations. There is value in reviewing inspirational quotations and writers whose philosophy and intentions are to help people connect with their inner strengths.

While we cannot control everything that happens to us in our lives, we can control how we react to those circumstances, events and conditions. It is important to renew every day the belief in yourself and your goals. See yourself making the connections that you need to; visualize yourself gladly accepting your new offer of employment, picture yourself getting ready to start new employment with a revitalized sense of purpose.

This mental training reflects what successful athletes do when they are in training or preparing for an important performance. They train themselves mentally, practicing in their minds the body movements and attitudes required to be a successful competitor. They create muscle memories through repetitive actions, strengthening both their bodies and their sense of purpose. This increases their drive and motivation to overcome the obstacles to actualizing their dreams.

The same techniques can be applied to the process of searching for the right job; doing those repetitive actions which are in line with your goals of finding the right job. You are creating mental patterns of thinking and raising your expectations, putting faith back into your efforts.

The Chinese put this type of perseverance concisely: "Fall down seven times, get up eight".

Winston Churchill said it more colourfully: "When you find yourself going through hell, keep going."

Thomas Edison had his own take when he was trying to discover the right materials to use for the incandescent light bulb: " I have not failed 10, 000 times, I have merely discovered 10,000 ways that do not work."

The common theme is to persevere through disappointment and rejection, choosing to see yourself getting closer to your goal with every situation that does not turn in your favour, internalizing the idea that the right job for you is out there and will happen for you at the right time and in the right way. This is believing in yourself and accepting the time required for the right opportunity to develop for your specific needs.

This power of positive affirmation and reminding yourself of what you want to achieve helps you to sustain your faith in your efforts when things appear to be at a standstill.

It is hard to see what is on the horizon if we are staring at the ground. Move forward with your vision fixed on the future and the new conditions that you want to have in your life, act every day towards achieve them, believe in yourself and others will also.

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