It's Your Game

Your success at work starts, and ends for that matter, in your head. Not just what you say to yourself to strengthen your confidence, but what you talk about to yourself when things are not going so great. What stops your momentum towards promotion, taking the lead on a project or having your ideas taken seriously, is your rebound from the mistake or misstep you made in the current moment. When this happens everyone pauses to take in, if only briefly, what just happened then its decision time? Will you be irritated? Will you become discouraged about your ability to succeed? In your moments of feeling defeated with yourself what are you saying in your head? Sure you reprimand yourself for this misstep/misread/wrong choice of direction, but then what?

Most people stop there at the reprimand, a continuous reprimand of self plays and plays. Then they get frustrated from it in such a way that their thoughts are now clouded. They can’t even figure out their next steps. All thoughts and actions at this point are aggressive with anger at yourself and you move more from memory than from a focused course of action, all the while those around you seize the opportunity to jump into your spot and move ahead. Basically, it is now game over, time to let it go and wait for the next opportunity.

Instead of making the above scenario your future try this, do a quick reprimand then adjust the course and go forward with your plan of success. This choice to go forward, shaking off the bad moment, doesn’t make room for any clouds of frustration to fester into anger. Adjusting yourself gives you immediate forgiveness and a new mental door open for the success you planned on to happen. Keep your mind from holding onto anything that isn’t positive and lifting you up, particularly when you are in the thralls of battle to get to the top.