Encouragement Part II

I previously wrote a post about the impact of encouragement on you and your career and I got some feedback asking for a more in depth look at the phenomenon of discouragement and encouragement and how it plays into your career.

I want you to stop whatever you are doing and think about five things you believe about yourself.

– Do you believe you are capable of earning a million dollar salary?
– Do you believe that you are capable of getting a promotion?
– Do you believe that you are on the verge of getting fired?
– Do you ALWAYS believe that you are on the verge of getting fired?

Okay, now I want you to think back to the origin of such beliefs. It is my guess that these sorts of self-perceptions have everything to do with the company you keep.

Have you ever watched an awards show like The Grammys or The Oscars? More often than not, you will hear the recipients of such awards doll out a long list of thank you’s. And they are also,  quite frequently, very long lists. This is an interesting bit of proof that the most successful of individuals do not do it all on their own. They do it with the encouragement and, more importantly, the belief of others that they can achieve such amazing feats.

Rarely, if ever, do you see someone go up on a stage after receiving an award saying they’d done it all on their own. In fact, I have never witnessed this.

My point is, you should take a step back and analyze your life in this way. Divide your friends and family into categories of those who encourage and those who do not encourage. Does your mother tell you that you are very intelligent. Does she tell you that she “knows” you can acheive anything you want in life? Then put her into the pile of those who encourage.

Conversely, do you have a father (or mother, even) who is always telling you that you cannot achieve this or that. Do they tell you that you need to revise your thinking to be more realistic? Do they say that you’re dreaming too big? Then put them into the other pile!

Once you’ve got your lists together, you have some serious soul searching to do. I do not believe that you should, or that it is realistic to completely excise these negative people out of your life; however, you do need to learn how to more or less ingore those people.

Positive encouragement is one of the most important tools you can possess in your quest for career. The affects it can have on your mood will increase your aptitude at work. They will even make those sleepy mornings easier by increasing your motivation for going to work. If you know that when you get to work, you’re going to achieve something great, then I have no doubt you’re going to be thrilled to get there.

On the other hand, if people are telling you that what you think you can achieve is unrealistic or that it’s not possible, then how do you think that will affect you at work? It will invariably diminish your ability to work to your full potential, and quite possibly leave you with a sense of depression and hopelessness.

Listen to me: You need to ignore those naysayers because we live in a world where anything is possible. And in your career the sky is the limit. That is, and always will be the truth.

When your outlook is positive, good things will happen. They may take time, but from the very moment you believe, you will start planting the seed of greatness. Your continued encouragement will act as the sunshine that lets them grow into beautiful flowers!