Four Ways to Kill Limiting Career Beliefs

Are sharp interview skills and a relevant resume paramount to landing a job? You bet. Does meeting deadlines with ease and working well with others make you a delight on the job itself? Of course! Although tactical approaches to a job search and success on the job itself are important, so, too are your beliefs. That's right -- all the things you tell yourself from whether or not you'll get the job to whether or not you deserve a raise. If you're on track internally, chances are you'll be able to shine externally, too.For instance, many of us have limiting beliefs such as not believing you can get a fantastic job in media. The first step to breaking free is exposing the belief itself. Therese J. Borchard, associate editor of Psych Central, writes in a blog post, "If there is a belief that you are unworthy or incapable in some way, you need to call it out, write it down, and expose it." Now that the belief is exposed, the next step is feeling the emotions surrounding it. There's probably a strong feeling tied to the belief like, "I'm not worthy of a raise. Why does everyone else get ahead instead of me?" Borchard indicates acknowledgment also involves calling it out and then giving it space to breathe. Now comes the action part. For instance, if you're a struggling freelancer searching for new gigs to pay the bills or an even better one that provides more creativity and autonomy, the next step is relating to yourself with kindness. In the piece, Borchard explains: "It’s not enough just to expose the emotion; we need to do something that is restorative and healing. This would be to get in touch with a part of yourself that exudes kindness, compassion and/or love. As you feel into the emotion see if you can hold it with this kind awareness. If that is difficult, imagine someone you know, living or dead, who symbolizes this kind of attention and allow that feeling to flow through you. If any judgments arise around this step (e.g., this is so Pollyanna or I can’t do this), notice those as thoughts, mental events in the mind that seemingly come and go, and come back to this practice." The last part of this internal process focuses on rewriting our story (hey, this shouldn't be too difficult for us media folks to do, right?). Write affirmations in a journal indicating positive words in the present tense: "I now work for a high paying client" and ditching the old, old, old. Borchard recommends, "Saying to yourself, “In the past I have had difficulty with XYZ due to my old story, this story is not a fact, and moving forward I’m going to open up to new possibilities.”

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Four Ways to Kill Limiting Career Beliefs

Vicki Salemi

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Vicki Salemi