Four tips for being at your best when making a career change

Whether prompted by circumstance or fueled by a dream, successfully moving careers can dramatically change your life for the better.

I have been working with a client lately who has been wanting to leave her job for some while. She has a vision to create more time for herself and her family, and to make more money too! She is taking brilliant steps towards her goal, but each time I meet with her, she begins by telling me how busy she has been in her current job and lists the problems that have got in the way of her progress. In between these negatives she drops in all the things she has achieved in her search for a new career, without even noticing them - until I point them out to her and a big smile spreads across her face. Suddenly she is in a much better place to think about her next steps.

To keep yourself positive on your journey towards change, try the following simple tips:

1. Get the positive habit

Our brain is a clever machine and can change very quickly if we remind it to every day. If you can start focusing on what's gone well and what you have achieved, rather than what's gone badly, you will create a habit of looking for good and a guaranteed method for giving yourself a confidence boost! You can use a diary or notebook for this, writing down three things that have gone well at the end of each day.

Your brain will start looking for ways to congratulate yourself more often, plus you will have a record of what you've done to look back on and give yourself a warm glow! Keeping top of mind what you have completed on your path towards change will raise your self esteem and encourage you to achieve more.

2. Assume the best

Looking for a new job inevitably takes us outside of our comfort zone, and if we constantly think about the worst that can happen, we put up barriers for ourselves in what we want from our next career choice and the avenues we pursue. How about focusing on the good things that might happen if we take the leap?

For example, when making a cold call to a CEO to offer your services, it's easy to think you might be bothering them, and that they don't want to hear what you've got to say. But what if they were interested? What if your words make them sit up and take notice? What if they don't have an opening right now but they know someone who does...? By assuming the good things that could happen, you create a vision of possibilities that give you the courage to make the call.

3. Tap into your body language

Your body language accounts for over 50% of your communication - not only to others, but to yourself. This means that if you can hold your body in a way that presupposes excellence, your thinking and actions are likely to follow the same route. So if you want to feel empowered as you begin your cold call, chat to an agent, or prepare for a vital interview, changing your body posture can have a big impact on your confidence and success.

It can be as easy as sitting taller in your chair, lifting your head or pulling your shoulders back. Even a simple smile produces serotonin, a neurotransmitter that automatically creates feelings of happiness and wellbeing. Maximise how your body talks to you and see what it makes possible!

4. Emulate your role models

Selling yourself into a new position will involve some kind of interview - whether in person or online. You might have to make a video about yourself or promote your products via an online course, and many of us are uncomfortable with this - we don't like the sound of our voice, or our mannerisms. What we often overlook is how easy it is to improve our performance.

I have never yet found a client who, when I ask them 'who do you know who's good at this?' is unable to think of someone who they think is great at on screen delivery. And all they have to do is do the same! Learn from the best, and create your own style based on it. Just because you can't do something how you want to now, doesn't mean you won't very soon.

Use these four tips to maintain momentum in pursuing your personal development goals. Notice what they make possible in your career journey to help you believe in yourself and really be at your best!