Facing Your Career Saboteur - Third in a Series

You're never going to succeed.

That's too big a risk.

You're going to make an unfixable mistake.

The market is already flooded with career coaches.

The above are all statements that a saboteur whispers in your ear, particularly when you get closer to living your career dream. These phrases of anti-encouragement are actually ones of my saboteur. See, I'm in the same place you are: striving toward a dream of shaping a new career and battling my saboteur along the way. But no matter what is whispered in my ear...my dreams are louder.

To face your career saboteur, you need techniques to engage with your dreams as well as to deafen the words of your saboteur. Here are some ways to do so:

Connect with values: When you live your career dream you are living bigger than you have in your life. When you are living big, you are living your values. Create a list of 5-10 values (there is a great list of them here) and keep it with you at all times to read whenever your saboteur come calling.

Talk with your saboteur: When you saboteur starts talking to you, talk back! Say "I hear you. Sounds like you're trying to derail me again. But you're not going to do it, so shut up." Say it in your head or say it out loud. Continue to beat back your saboteur until he/she backs off.

Change geography: If you're having a hard time shaking your saboteur, stand up. Changing your body posture by standing up straight and moving with energy can create shake off the career saboteur. And if you need to change your environment (go outside, change rooms, go to a coffee shop) do so.

Engage your Ideal Self: Your Ideal Self is the opposite of your career saboteur. He/she believes in you, sees your magnificence, understands your potential, and cheerleads you to live your dreams. When the career saboteur is talking loudly, that's a voice...but it's not the voice. Bring your Ideal Self into the conversation and focus on those words to put the saboteur in his/her place.

Assignment #3: Facing Your Saboteur
Pick at least two (if not all) of the above techniques and practice them for a week. Write about your results in the comments section.

Next week: the continued uncare and unfeeding of your career saboteur.