12 Positive Affirmations to Use When Making a Career Change

Are you going through a career change & running low on motivation? Could you use a pep talk?

What you tell yourself about your career has the largest impact on your career realities. Get ready to be your own mental energizer bunny!

Have you ever considered how many thoughts run through your head on a daily basis? According to the National Science Foundation, most people have anywhere between 12,000-60,000 thoughts each day.  

That is an incredible amount of dialogue occurring under the surface! And unfortunately for most of us, that majority of those thoughts tend to be negative (to the tune of about 80% negative and 20% positive – talk about a depressing appearance of the pareto principle).

Why is it that people are more inclined to think negatively at first? Apparently, that’s just how we’re wired.

Self-Talk

It might be time to start talking to yourself the way you talk to your best friend or your loved one. You are probably far more compassionate, flexible, and supportive for someone else’s challenges than you are for yourself.

Unfortunately, psychologists say that one negative thought often snowballs into many, unless you can flip the script.

It takes 3 positive thoughts for every negative one to maintain a productive mindset. So how do we make sure we’re prepared to fend off those weighty self-criticisms?

Enter: positive affirmations.

Focusing on positive affirmations could improve your career change & growth aspirations substantially. We’re not talking about over-working here. 

Just thinking positively. That’s it.

Top psychologists correlate thoughts with making deposits at the bank. Are you putting in more positive or negative thoughts in your brain bank?

Take Your Cue: Professional Athletes

You know who has a lot of practice talking to themselves positively?

Professional athletes. At least the ones at the top of their game.

Wouldn’t you pay to be in the mind of your favorite pro athlete at the time of their big event, game, or match? 

What do they tell themselves?

How do they keep their nerves from getting the better of them?

How do they show up in the biggest of moments?

It would be a great learning experience to hear their positive affirmations during crunch time.

You probably aren’t being trusted with scoring the game winning point with seconds to spare on a daily basis.

You are, however, responsible for valuable tasks at work and in your career, and you must be in a positive mindset to see optimal success.

Let’s be honest, being a professional athlete would be a monumental experience.  

However, performing and excelling in your new career (or yes, even your current job) has limitless potential. Over the course of your career, you could make a substantial impact on countless people.

Maybe it’s time to start talking to yourself more positively.  

Positive Affirmations for Career Changers

I am creating my dream career.

You are in the driver’s seat of your career journey. “If you build it, it will come”. Build, create, design the career you want.  

Pursue your dreams every day! Be creative!

Do you want to work remotely in a new, higher paying field? Maybe you’re looking for a job that both matches your interests & allows for a better work-life balance?

Keep imagining and picturing that dream career. It’s out there, and you can find it!

I deserve to be happy in my career.

Some say the average person will spend ⅓ of their life working. It’s vital that you find happiness in your career.

So much of your time and energy is spent working. If your quality of life is on the line, consider what makes you happy.  

Often, the happiest people have made a career out of doing something that they love!  

I release the tendency to compare.

Don’t be the “Aaron Burr” of your career. There’s enough room for everyone to succeed!  

As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”  

Spare yourself the energy it takes to compare yourself to someone else who started earlier than you (no, you’re never too late in your 30s, 40s, 50s & 60s). Or to those who have different talents, different goals, and different experiences.

Instead, learn from your admired colleague. Ask yourself: What makes them stand out?

Every day is a learning opportunity.

Did you make a mistake today? 

Did you have to start from scratch with a project?

Did you let your emotions get the best of you?

Great! You probably won’t do that again!  

Look for a new lesson each day. The more open you are to learning from humility, the more knowledge and experience you can take into your next work experience.

I can find calm during challenging times.

Breathe. Slow down.

Imagine your mind is a can of pop that has all the potential in the world to fizz like crazy, if you shake it. IF YOU SHAKE IT.

You hold it cautiously, deliberately avoiding any potential waves.

Carry that calm with you into each meeting, each project, each responsibility. After all, you are responsible for the calm you seek.

I have confidence and believe in myself.

Take a look at that person in the mirror. What do you see?

Can you see all the challenges you’ve overcome?

Can you see how far you’ve come with your professional or personal journeys?  Do you remember where you started?

Create a list of all that you’ve tackled. Believe in yourself. Have the confidence to add to that list today!

My potential is limitless.

Napoleon Hill once said, “Our only limitations are the ones we set up in our own minds.”

Choose to believe in possibilities and you will start seeing the opportunities that were at one time obstacles.

I am grateful for new opportunities.

Speaking of opportunities, they deserve a pat on the back!

It’s your job, along with your actual job, to see the opportunities that may be disguised as a challenge or a problem. 

Be grateful for any and all opportunities. Look around, spot something you love about your job, sprinkle your day with thank yous!

I am living in the present.

Do you worry about the future? Do you get frustrated about the past?

Are you missing the right now?

Here’s a tip: start practicing meditation.

Staying focused and meditating greatly impacts someone’s ability to focus, and many often see work performance improvement after adopting a meditation routine.  

I am a valuable member of my team.

What do you bring to the table? You have a world of experiences that only you can offer.  

Diversity brings dimension to this world. Without your personality, perspective, experience, knowledge, and work ethic, the universe would be lacking.

I choose to make a positive impact on this world.

Recognize your strengths, use your voice, empower yourself and others. The world is lucky to have you in it.

As Gandhi would say, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

This is my story.

I am writing my story with every thought, with every missed opportunity, with every opportunity snatched up, with every moment of uncertainty, and with every moment of strength.

Today is a blank page waiting for the next chapter of your story.