Unlocking Your Superpowers: Stop the ‘iffing’ and start your engine!

When it comes to talking about something we would really, really would like to do or achieve, we’ve all made statements like: ‘If only I had more time I would…‘ ‘If I had talent like that I could…‘ In doing so, we are blocking our personal progress and keeping ourselves blind to our potential capabilities. Women are most famous for doing this, but men are actually equally guilty: downplaying their own expectations and getting in their own way of realizing their dreams and aspirations.

Stop the ‘Iffing’!

Start doing instead. Begin by taking inventory of your past, present and future. (It sounds like a lot, but we outline some steps below that make it super simple.) You’ll most likely find that you’ve got a lot more going for you than you think! After this little confidence booster, you’ll start to realize that your dreams and aspirations are more achievable than you thought. You just need to start your engine and get motoring!

Start Your Engine

There are a few quick and easy ways to make your profile more searchable for the jobs you want to hear about—the more people who can find you, the more information you’ll get delivered straight to your door. (Not to mention the more other contacts you’ll make in your field.) The three simple steps below will help you find out about cool opportunities without doing any work yourself, ensuring that the interesting opportunities don’t pass you by.

Travel back in time

Think about your personal story: how have you gotten where you are now? Think about all the learning steps along the way, including that job you had in your teens waiting tables. You picked up some skills there, too; what were they? You may find that job contributed more to shaping your individual journey and personal progress than your prestigious bank job.

Re-asses your present

Take a closer look at what you have going on in your life right now. Most of us aren’t realizing the potential of our existing personal network. Start actively engaging with those around you, and don’t be afraid to spill your dreams and aspirations to even casual acquaintances. Are you looking for a career change? That nice woman you have coffee with after yoga class, for example, might just know someone who’s looking for someone just like you.

Step into the future

Take some concrete steps to get closer to your ideal future. Perhaps a class? Or start with some networking events in your dream field. Always wanted to be a singer? Take lessons and join a local choir. You can’t expect this experience to turn you into the next Beyoncé, but it will get you a lot closer than sitting at home on the couch watching Beyoncé on TV.

Life After ‘If’

Each of these three steps seems almost too simple, too straight forward. It’s common sense, right? Or is that just another excuse preventing you from taking action to realize your dreams and aspirations? It can be scary to risk new ventures and try out new skills. What if we find out we’re not good at the things we want to do? What if we fail? But… So what if you do?! You will get up and try again, armed with essential knowledge only learned by falling down. The only way to make your failure certain is to not even try. The words ‘if only’ are holding you back from unlocking your new superhero talents.

Want more tips? Read the book Playing Big by Tara Mohr (the inspiration for this blog).

Written by Pauline Thijssen who unlocked her superhero power as a pharma and biotech career matchmaker at Seuss Recruitment.