Highly-motivated, goal-oriented people can easily grow frustrated if they miss the mark or get behind on what they would like to accomplish—but focusing on what you have not accomplished, instead of celebrating what you managed to make happen, can be toxic to your self-esteem, and get in the way of your productivity and overall growth.
Regardless of where you want to be in your career, it’s important to take time to celebrate how far you’ve come. Not only will this inspire you to keep moving forward, but you may find you’re already more impressive than you realize. Consider the following:
Take note of ALL goals. It’s hard to realize we’ve successfully met a goal if we never set it in the first place. Make a habit of recording your goals, from small to large, so that you can revisit them weekly, monthly or yearly to see your progress. You may be surprised!
Eliminate negative self-talk. You’d probably never berate a friend if they came to you feeling unaccomplished, and, yet, we often are our own harshest critic. When negative self-talk arises, stick up for yourself the way you would stick up for a friend. While this may feel awkward at first, if you do this continuously, you will find your self-directed negativity diminishing.
Celebrate the small wins. Maybe you missed that big mark, but perhaps you managed an hour of cold calling every day this week, quickly followed up on all leads, or met with a new client. These wins should be celebrated—after all, they’re leading you toward a larger accomplishment.
Imagine your past self. If you’re stuck in a rut of negativity, imagine you run into your past self from five, 10 or 15 years ago. What would your past self think of your present self? Chances are, you’d be impressed with where you are in your career. It’s all too easy to lose sight of how far we’ve come, and this visualization can help put things in perspective.
Zoe Eisenberg is RISMedia’s senior content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at zoe@rismedia.com.
