Is Your Attitude Stunting Your Growth? Ten Tips for Personal and Professional Renewal

by Carol J. Carter

Does your attitude hold you back? Recently, a colleague mentioned that she felt stuck in a rut at her job and in her life. I asked her what she thought would help. She said, "I think I need a fresh perspective." She makes an important point. Sometimes our thoughts and feelings need a fresh airing, particularly when the economic landscape appears bleak. Following are ten ideas for promoting personal and professional growth during this challenging time.



1. Renew your mind. Your thoughts dictate your reality. At intervals throughout the day, stop and take a mental check. Take charge of your thoughts by remembering a favorite poem or inspirational saying and recite it to yourself whenever you want to make a mental shift. Think and talk about what you value.
   
   
2. Evaluate your life's work. Career growth is a lifelong process. When your job no longer fits your evolving personality, consider a more compatible one. This may mean moving up, or down, or sideways on the career ladder. Who you are, not what you do, is important. Perhaps it's time for you to judge work rewards more by satisfaction than by money or position.
   
   
3. Develop emotional resilience. Surround yourself with friends and colleagues who make you feel supported. When you're struggling, talk to someone you trust or seek professional counseling. Take a time out, especially in the midst of difficulties, to enjoy what refreshes your spirit.
   
   
4. Push your passion. Figure out how to incorporate your passion into your job and your life. According to Terrie M. Williams, author and founder of the Stay Strong Foundation, "Passion means attempting to express and realize our heart's goals through everyday practices."
   
   
5. Create success. You've heard the phrase, "What you see is what you get." This can also apply to creating the kind of life you want to live. Visualize a detailed picture of yourself achieving a desired goal or outcome. What steps will you need to take to make this picture a reality?
   
   
6. Be an options thinker. Don't allow your attitude to limit your thinking. Devise new approaches to solving problems. Think of a small risk you could take. What is the worst that could happen? What is the best that could happen? Cultivate a braver heart by stepping into the unknown. What you risk reveals what you value.
   
   
7. Admit regrets. If you have a regret, acknowledge it and, if possible, try to amend it. However, you also need to move on and break free of nagging self-doubts. Learn from mistakes rather than berating yourself.
   
   
8. Shift your perspective. If you follow your current career path and/or mission to its likely end, what will your life look like five years from now? Ten years from now? Now, rewind and consider things in reverse. Ten years ago, did you expect to be where you are now? Consider alternatives to your regular mode of operation.
   
   
9. Cultivate solitude. Reconnect with yourself and your goals by making time to be still and quiet for 10 to 20 minutes a day. If you need help focusing your thoughts, keep a journal or talk into a recorder.
   
   
10. Raise your level of vision. Think above and beyond circumstances. Even though it may feel like it, you aren't trapped. Change is possible. Don't just think out of the box, choose to step out of it. Allow a healthy attitude to create your next set of growth experiences.