5 Negative Mindsets That May Be Getting in the Way of Your Career

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If you’ve ever found yourself at a loss in your job, it may be all down to the way you are thinking about your career. Letting yourself develop a certain frame-of-mind can prompt bad habits that, ultimately, leave you stalling

Thinking positively about the future of your career and never underestimating your own skills is vital when it comes to success and job satisfaction. Knowing when to ask the right questions and when to channel your energy into accomplishing great things are important skills to harness.

The following five mindsets may sound all-too-familiar – if so, read on to find out how to snap out of these so you don’t get stuck in a career rut.

It’s Not My Strong Point, So I Can’t Improve

Dismissing a certain area in your career can breed complacency. Everyone has their weaknesses, whether that’s public speaking, delivering presentations, coming up with creative ideas, talking on the telephone, and so on. But, shrugging off your weaknesses pretty much means refusing any form of self-development.

You don’t have to excel at every aspect of your career. Learning to better cope with things that aren’t your strong point promotes a positive determination and ambition – traits that are essential if you want to go on to great things in your career.

Quite often, our weaknesses come down to a lack of confidence. Practising confidence and learning to rep what you’re good at can work wonders.

I’m Too Shy to Be a Leader

In most careers, the natural progression plan will see you move from an executive position into a managerial role. If you’re naturally shy though, the thought of being directly in charge of a team of people may seem daunting.

Stepping up into a leadership role isn’t necessarily for everyone, but immediately cancelling out the possibility can spin your career off the right track. It’s worth thinking ahead to the direction you see your career heading – how have other people in your office or industry moved through the ranks? It may not be as clear-cut as you think.

If you’re keen to progress, do your research online and then sit down and chat through your thoughts with your boss. Taking on new responsibilities may not always come in the form of directly leading people. And, if the only way to move up does mean being a strong leader, there are plenty of ways to overcome your shyness.

I’m Too Busy to Work on My Personal Development

Everyone has periods where work-life feels all-consuming. You might feel like you simply do not have enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you need to. This often means that we put our personal development on the back burner.

Citing ‘busyness’ as the reason for not focusing on ways to move up in your career is a tricky (but all-too-common) situation to be in. But, having the desire to keep learning is one of the most attractive traits for businesses to see. Showing that you’re willing to keep growing and leveraging new skills makes you instantly more hireable.

So, how do you find time to better yourself? Keep your eye open for any training programmes that are relevant to your job or industry sector – these may be in the form of online courses, podcasts, video tutorials, workshops or networking events. The bonus is that many of these things tend to be free to sign up (or relatively cheap at least)!

If you spot a course or event that you think could help your career it’s worth talking to your boss about it. Many companies will be happy to support their staff in training programmes, whether this means authorising you to take time out to complete it or paying for you to enrol.

I Can’t Compete Against My Colleagues

Comparing yourself to others is dangerous at any stage of your life. Focusing on your colleagues’ successes will zap your energy, leaving you with little time or motivation to work on your own self-improvement.

Treating your career like a competition only breeds an unhealthy attitude. If you enter the office every day feeling like you need to do or be better to outshine your colleagues, you’ll soon exhaust yourself. Feeling one step behind everyone else can cause you to start questioning your own abilities. Being hard on yourself in this way can often invoke helplessness and self-loathing, as well as detestation of your colleagues and job as a whole.

Turning the situation on its head and realising that everyone works and learns in different ways is a game-changer for your career. Just because your colleagues are quick to do something, doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to do that same task too. Likewise, it’s crucial that you analyse your own strengths. You may be able to champion certain skills that your colleagues are unable to – so own what you’re good at!

I Should Be Able to Do This

In the same sense as comparing yourself to others, setting yourself unrealistic goals or standards can lead to self-destructive behaviour. You should never consider it a weakness to ask for advice or guidance. Even if you’ve been taught how to complete a certain task in the past, you shouldn’t feel reluctant to seek guidance if you’re still uncertain.

Making sure you’re fully trained in all the key aspects of your role will help make you more productive and will ease any feelings of inadequacy. Striving for perfection is a rocky path to follow, because perfection doesn’t exist. Remember, no one knows everything and we all need a little help from time to time. Without this, no one can possibly hope to improve.

Are you guilty of sinking into any of these mindsets? How do you channel positivity in the office? Let us know by tweeting us @CelebriciousCom.

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A writer and collector of small and beautiful things. Doesn't go anywhere without a coffee, pair of sunglasses, dark red lipstick and head-to-toe in black. Dreams of one day having her own library and moving to Scandinavia to live the stylish, chilled 'hygge' lifestyle.
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