Research shows that our environment has impacts on our behavior that we are often unaware of it.  Psychologists refer to these influencers as primes.  One research study found that people who were shown sad movie clips spent 300 percent more money on a bottle of water than a group of people who were shown neutral movie clips.  Every person who watched the sad movie clips insisted that the movie clips had nothing to do with the price they paid for the water.

Stop for a moment and take a look at your surroundings.  What things in your environment are having a positive impact on your work and what things are having a negative influence on you?  Here are some suggestions for positive primes that people have used:  (1)  Change your cell phone ring tone to a song that motivates you or reminds you of a happy event.  (2)  Add an inspirational quote to your email signature.  (3)  Make sure the slogan on your coffee mug is a positive one.  (4)  Keep a list of your goals where you can review them daily.  (5)  Hang a picture of someone you admire where you see it often.  (6)  Choose an object that inspires you and keep it within your range of vision as you work.  Change your primes and you can change your behavior.

Note:  I currently have a few openings for one-on-one clients.  If you are interested in getting some help to discover your ideal career or in taking control of your job search, click here to schedule a free consultation and let’s discuss your needs and how coaching can help you achieve your goals.

Research shows that happier people

• are more creative,

• are more motivated toward high performance,

• are more alert,

• have sharper cognitive skills,

• act more effectively,

• are more helpful to others, and

• are more successful in all aspects of their lives.

Whether you are in job search or not, happiness provides amazing benefits. So here’s a quick exercise you can do that has been shown to increase happiness. Every night before you go to sleep, either write down or just think about three good things that happened during the day. And then ask yourself what you did to make those things happen. Even if your good thing is that you enjoyed a beautiful sunset, although you didn’t make the sunset happen, you did take the time to notice it and enjoy it. If you will do this every night for several weeks, not only will your happiness level rise while you are doing it, your happiness level with remain higher even after you stop doing it. (My source for this exercise is Dr. Carol Kauffman of Harvard University.)

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A reader writes:

I’ve only been out of work for three months but I’m scared and feeling down and desperate.  I know that being desperate will only hurt my chances of getting a job even more.  How can I keep my spirits up and believe in myself when the employment situation is so bad?

My reply:

Being out of work is scary and it is easy to feel desperate.  Feelings of fear and desperation almost always come from a sense that external forces are in control, so the key is to regain control because you do have a great deal of power over your future.  There are several things you can do:  (1)  Try to ignore the negative economic news.  Keep in mind that there are jobs out there and you only need one of them.  (2)  Focus on all the good things in your life, what has not changed, and your support system.  You are much more than your job.  (3)  Write out your accomplishments in detail.  List your strengths and your talents.  Every time a negative thought enters your head, turn it into a positive thought.  For example, instead of “I don’t have a job,” think “This is an opportunity to find a job that is truly meaningful to me.”  (4)  Volunteer.  One of the best ways to feel good about you is to help others in need.  (5)  Never underestimate the amount of control you have in your job search.  Immediately take whatever steps are necessary for you to feel that you can confidently go out there and land the job you want (e.g., get some books from the library, ask a mentor for help, or hire a career coach).  You will prevail!

Thoughts and suggestions from others?

Before you sit down to prepare your résumé and cover letter for that job you really want, before you head out for that interview, before you meet with your manager to ask for a well-deserved promotion, take a few minutes to answer these five questions.  This exercise will get you focused on your best self and put you into a positive state.  Research shows that when people are in a positive frame of mind, they are more effective in all areas of their lives.  They are more alert, more creative, more resourceful, more helpful toward others, and mentally sharper.  Thinking about your successes will not only make you feel as if you can accomplish any goal, it will actually enhance your ability to do so.

1.         Describe your three greatest accomplishments.

2.         What makes each of these accomplishments stand out for you?

3.         What strengths did you draw on to make those accomplishments happen?

4.         How can you use those strengths to achieve future goals?

5.         List five adjectives that describe you at your best.

Stay positive and success is yours!