Ditch Negative Self-Talk and Have a Positive Job Search

Ditch Negative Self-Talk and Have a Positive Job SearchDitch Negative Self-Talk and Have a Positive Job SearchIt happens again. You think youve found the perfect job to apply for, and you get excited at the possibility and even begin to imagine yourself doing the jobwhen the MindBeast shows up that negative, doubt-filled, often sarcastic voice inside of you that says, You? with great incredulity. What makes you think theyd hire you? If this sounds familiar, its time to ditch the negative self-talk and start to have a positive job search.MindBeast comes in many forms doubt, insecurity, low self-esteem, and fear to name a few. Some call it the Imposter Complex. Some call it pessimism. Whatever you name it, fruchtwein job seekers have experienced these feelings at one time or another while job searching. The job posting might seem exactly the right fit at first, until the negative self-talk begins. I applied a week ago, why havent I heard from them? I guess it isnt for me.13 other peopl e applied, too. I bet they are more qualified than I am.I dont have enough experience. Or, I have too much experience. Im over-qualified. They wont want to hire me.Im missing something in the job postings list of desired skills and abilities. Other people will have everything this company is looking for, and I dont. I might as well not even bother.This is utterly normal behavior. Top CEO applicants, people with years of experience, and people with high expertise in their fields will still experience MindBeast, even when it is likely they will get the job. MindBeast seems to thrive by telling negative stories, most of which are not even true.So what can you do to have a positive job search?Ignore It Im not suggesting that you can actually turn it off, because to do that requires years of intentional practice. You can, however, lessen its effect on you significantly, which will help your confidence level immensely.Notice It MindBeast feeds on negativity and spends a lot of time findin g evidence to back up its negative stories. The best way to disarm it is to simply notice it. When you are in the midst of a job search, and the voice inside begins its deprecating rant, notice it. You can even say out loud something like, Theres MindBeast again, always so negative. This will help you realize what is happening.Dont Engage Be aware of this negative self-talk, and dont engage with it. Allow it to float past like a log in a river. Notice it, name it for what it is, and let it float on past in the stream of other chatter that goes on inside. This will take practice. Simply being aware of negative self-talk as it is occurring, and then choosing to watch it go by, can help to diffuse it.Set Goals Setting a daily goal during a job search can help you to feel productive and positive. How many applications will you submit each day? How many leads will you follow up on? Who will you meet with? What is your plan if you are unsuccessful in one and need to continue your search? Goals can take the big task of finding a job and make it more manageable, which helps with letting go of negativity.Practice Gratitude Write out a list of positives- things about your search each day that you are grateful for or that you are pleased you accomplished. What did you learn from an interview experience? Where might you improve? What gave you inspiration and hope today? Did you meet your daily goals today? If so, celebrateOf course, you wont get every job you apply for or that your heart desires. You will also be in competition with other very qualified people, and there are any number of factors beyond your control that will lead to whether or not you get a particular job. The thing to remember is that you are far more than your resume. You bring a combination of skills, gifts, and abilities to the table in the unique package that is you. Until you sit through an interview and meet the people who are hiring face to face, nothing is certain. While you cant control what ha ppens after that, you can control how you respond to your own internal chatter about how things went and how you feel you measured up. When the negativity begins, remember that MindBeast is making up stories to try to throw you off your game. Its up to you to decide whether or not to believe them.Readers, what do you do to have a positive job search? Share with us belowJennifer Swanson is the author of a best-selling new book, What They landsee How to Stand Out and Shine in Your New Job. She has taught communication and human relation skills since 1993 to college students entering the medical field. She is also the creator/host of the Communication Diva Podcast, which has an international audience and helps people deepen workplace and personal relationships through more effective communication. Swanson has a masters degree in public and pastoral leadership, and is a certified conflict coach and master NLP practitioner. She is also a mother and step-mother to two young adults and two teensand to a four-legged hairy little beast named Bandit, too. You can connect with Jennifer on Twitter JennSwanson2 and on iTunes with the Communication Diva Podcast.

8 surprising things ultra productive people do every day

8 surprising things ultra productive people do every day8 surprising things ultra productive people do every dayWhen it comes to productivity, we all face the same challenge - there are only 24 hours in a day. Yet some people seem to have twice the time they have an uncanny ability to get things done. Even when juggling multiple projects, they reach their goals without fail.Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he cant afford to lose. - Thomas EdisonWe all want to get mora out of life. Theres arguably no better way to accomplish this than by finding ways to do more with the precious time youve been given.It feels incredible when you leave the office after an ultra-productive day. Its a workplace high thats hard to beat. With the right approach, you can make this happen every day. You dont need to work longer or push yourself harder - you just need to work smarter.Ultra-productive people know this. As they move through their days they rely on p roductivity hacks that make them far more efficient. They squeeze every drop out of every hour without expending any extra effort.The best thing about these hacks is theyre easy to implement. So easy that you can begin using them today. Give them a read, give them a whirl, and watch your productivity soar.They fight the tyranny of the urgentThe tyranny of the urgent refers to the tendency of little things that have to be done right now to get in the way of what really matters. This creates a huge problem as urgent actions often have little impact.If you succumb to the tyranny of the urgent, you can find yourself going days, or even weeks, without touching the important stuff. Productive people are good at spotting when putting out fires is getting in the way of their performance, and theyre willing to ignore or delegate the things that get in the way of real forward momentum.Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. - William PennThey never touch things twiceProductive peopl e never put anything in a holding pattern, because touching things twice is a huge time-waster. Dont save an email or a phone call to deal with later. As soon as something gets your attention you should act on it, delegate it or delete it.They eat frogsEating a frog is the best antidote for procrastination, and ultra-productive people start each morning with this tasty treat. In other words, they do the least appetizing, most dreaded item on their to-do list before they do anything else. After that, theyre freed up to tackle the stuff that excites and inspires them.They dont multitaskUltra-productive people know that multitasking is a real productivity killer. Research conducted at Stanford University confirms that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. The researchers found that people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information or switch from one job to another as well as those wh o complete one task at a time.But what if some people have a special gift for multitasking? The Stanford researchers compared groups of people based on their tendency to multitask and their belief that it helps their performance. They found that heavy multitaskers - those who multitask a lot and feel that it boosts their performance - were actually worse at multitasking than those who like to do a single thing at a time. The frequent multitaskers performed worse because they had more trouble organizing their thoughts and filtering out irrelevant information, and they were slower at switching from one task to another. Ouch.They get ready for tomorrow before they leave the officeProductive people end each day by preparing for the next. This practice accomplishes two things it helps you solidify what youve accomplished today, and it ensures youll have a productive tomorrow. It only takes a few minutes and its a great way to end your workday.For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned. - Benjamin FranklinThey stick to the schedule during meetingsMeetings are the biggest time waster there is. Ultra-productive people know that a meeting will drag on forever if they let it, so they inform everyone at the onset that theyll stick to the intended schedule. This sets a limit that motivates everyone to be more focused and efficient.The bad news is time flies. The good news is youre the pilot. - Michael AltshulerThey say noNo is a powerful word that ultra-productive people are not afraid to wield. When its time to say no, they avoid phrases such as I dont think I can or Im not certain. Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them.Research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Learn to use no, and it will lift your mood, as well as your productivity.They only check email at designated timesUltra-productive people dont allow e-mail to be a constant interruption. In plus-rechnen to checking e-mail on a schedule, they take advantage of features that prioritize messages by sender. They set alerts for their most important vendors and their best customers, and they save the rest until they reach a stopping point. Some people even set up an autoresponder that lets senders know when theyll be checking their e-mail again.One man gets only a weeks value out of a year while another man gets a full years value out of a week. - Charles RichardsBringing it all togetherWere all searching for ways to be more efficient and productive. I hope these strategies help you to find that extra edge.Travis Bradberry is the co-author ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the co-founder ofTalentSmart.This column first appeared on LinkedIn.

35% of Americans would give up the right to vote for a raise

35% of Americans would give up the right to vote for a raise35% of Americans would give up the right to vote for a raiseWith the economy on the upswing and job creation on the rise, things are looking up and workers are hoping to cash in. Everyone wishes theycould just march into their bosss office and ask for pay raise (if you try this, there are things you shouldavoid doing), but its not that easy. And whilesome companies have paid bonuses and boosted pay after the new tax bill passed, more than half of U.S. workers did not receive a raise in 2017.So, what would Americans do for a salary increase? Just about anything.LendEDU surveyed 1,238 employed people in the U.S. and asked what they would be willing to sacrifice for a 10% raise. The results were interesting, to say the least.Over one-third of respondents (34.98%) said they would give up the right to vote in all elections for life just to secure an extra 10% in pay, while 9% said they would give up their childs or future childs right to vote for the rest of their lives.Over half of the people surveyed (55.9%) thought thatputting in an extra 10 hours per week for life was worth a bump in pay, apparently not realizing that working 25% more hours for a 10% bump isnt exactly a good tradeoff.Some other notable things respondents said theyd forego for a 10% raise88.61% would stop watching Game of Thrones for life73.42% would give up all alcoholic beverages for the next five years55.9% would work an extra 10 hours per week for life53.55% would give up all social media for five years50.65% would give up watching movies for the next three years50.4% would work one day every weekend for the next year43.86% would give up exercise for the next five years40.06% would give up dental care15.27% would give up all of their vacation days for the next five years18.9% would give up access to health insurance for the next five years12.2% would break up with their partner or significant other5.33% would eat a single Tide Pod