LIFE LESSON FROM A ZIT

Written by Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.


Continued from page 1

A negative attitude becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that sets you up for future failures and disappointments. Your inner brat convinces you that you might as well not put forth much effort because nothing ever works out anyway. And guess what? When you don't try, you don't experience success.

Most pessimistic people don't realize that they can change their attitudes. It really is possible to train yourself to be more optimistic.

Optimists do not ignore problems. They just look at them differently, thinking in terms of opportunities rather than limitations. Also, research shows that optimistic people are less likely to be depressed, are more productive, and enjoy better health than their pessimistic counterparts. Even in war-torn countries, optimistic people have hope forrepparttar future.

Optimism is a major inner-brat-buster. When you think in terms of constructive possibilities, you are confident. You can withstand more adversity and stress. You look torepparttar 130137 future with excitement rather than dread.

Here are some tips on increasing your level of hope and optimism:

1. Every night before going to sleep, write down three good things that happened that day. This may seem hokey, but research shows that people who do this on a regular basis sleep better and wake up in a better mood, ready to take onrepparttar 130138 day.

2. When you find yourself giving up hope of success, challenge your thoughts. Ask yourself, "What'srepparttar 130139 evidence that I will fail?" If you merely *believe* that you'll fail, that's not good enough. If you failed inrepparttar 130140 past at a similar task, figure out what caused that to happen, and changerepparttar 130141 factors over which you have some control.

3. Ask yourself, "What'srepparttar 130142 worst thing that can happen?" Then make a plan for this worst thing. As a result, you won't be more discouraged. In fact, you'll feel more hopeful and confident.

Copyright 2004 Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.

Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in Camp Hill, PA, and author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior" (Beyond Words Publishing, 2001)

Visit http://www.innerbrat.com for more information, and subscribe to her free, monthly Inner Brat Newsletter.


Knowing What You Want in Your Next Job

Written by Carole Martin, The Interview Coach


Continued from page 1

After you have written this list for your current job, try doingrepparttar same thinking about previous jobs. If you recently graduated from college, userepparttar 130136 classes that were most stimulating and interesting for you, orrepparttar 130137 projects you worked on with teams.

By making lists of motivating experiences from your last two or three jobs, you will hopefully begin to see patterns of projects and tasks that stand out. Analyze what you did before. Do you want more of this type of responsibility in your next job? The answers to these questions will give yourepparttar 130138 answer torepparttar 130139 motivation question as well as possibilities for fulfillment in future jobs that have similar responsibilities.

Take this list of motivating experiences and script an answer torepparttar 130140 question, “What motivates you?” Scripting answers prepares you and also makes you sound more confident.

The Perfect Answer

There is no such thing as he “perfect” answer to this question. Your answer will be individual and based on your own experience and analysis. It will reveal torepparttar 130141 interviewer and to yourself what you thrive on in your work. Even if you are not asked this question, your pre-interview thinking, analysis, and scripting, will help you be more focused and in control of want you want in your next job. Knowing what you want will make you feel more confident about findingrepparttar 130142 right job. ``````````````````````````````````````` Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, "Interview Fitness Training Workbook" and "Boost Your Interview IQ" (McGraw Hill) sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole's FREE job interview tips by subscribing to her monthly email newsletter at www.interviewcoach.com

Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, "Interview Fitness Training Workbook" and "Boost Your Interview IQ" (McGraw Hill) have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole's FREE job interview tips by visiting her web site at: http://www.interviewcoach.com


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