3 Ways to Finally Start Believing in Yourselfand Change Your Life

3 Ways to Finally Start Believing in Yourselfand Change Your Life3 Ways to Finally Start Believing in Yourself- and Change Your LifeAre you an achievement junkie? Like most ambitious professionals, you may struggle from a common affliction never feeling like youre doing enough to achieve your goals. You crave the process of doing mora and doing things better. You are always looking for success strategies and want to learn from those who have achieved their goals. Over the years, through my client work, I have interviewed hundreds of successful people. And Ive discovered one universal truth about successThe easiest way to success is to believe in yourself.You may scoff at that and say, Of course I believe in myself. But do you really? Answer yes or no to the following questionsWhen you experience a disappointment, do you berate yourself and immediately think its a sign you dont have what it takes to succeed?When you fail, do you experience a period of time, that can last up to a day a nd sometimes longer, feeling like a failure?Do you have a list of certificates, degrees, and classes you need to take in order to feel like you are capable of succeeding?Do you have a persistent belief that you arent complete and dont know what that feels like?You know what youre good at, but do you think that in order to succeed, you need to build on your weaknesses?Do your parents and friends opinions matter, so much that if they dont agree with decisions you make, you question yourself?Do you crave the approval of others in the form of money, power, and compliments?Do you regularly change your vision of your work based on what others have told you they think?Do you have a constant feeling of confusion as to what youre meant to be doing?Do you have more negative self-talk than positive, all the time?If you answered yes to more than five of the above questions, you may leid believe in yourself as much as you think. You may also have a belief that you cant change that perception. I know you can, because Ive seen it happen. With that in mind, here are three strategies to begin using the success secret weapon of believing in yourself1. Begin to See Disappointments and Failures as OpportunitiesWhen something doesnt work or go your way, move on quickly. See that situation as a sign that you need to pivot your strategy and try something else. Trust that you are giving your best efforts to your business goals. Success takes time, and you want to ensure you are enjoying the process of achieving your goals just as much as achieving them. 2. Start Training Your Brain to Be PositiveOur brains are wired toward negativity. Reversing those negative thoughts to positive ones may sound hokey, but it works. Its hard work to be positive, but its worth it, because negativity can slow you down. Barbara Fredrickson, researcher at the University of North Carolina, has proven that positive thinking will broaden your skills. Fredrickson refers to this as the broaden and build becaus e positive emotions broaden your sense of possibilities and open your mind, which in turn allows you to build new skills and resources that can provide value in other areas of your life. Researchers have long known that negative emotions program your brain to do a specific action, narrow your mind, and focus your thoughts. If your negative thoughts are focused on elend believing in yourself, it can overpower your ability to do anything else other than dwell on that notion.3. Use Your Core Strengths in the Work You Are DoingOne of the best ways to start believing in yourself is to create opportunities where you are going to shine. Throw away the old-fashioned idea that work is supposed to be hard. Work should be challenging- there is a difference. If the majority of your work leverages your innate talent, then it will be easier to believe in yourself. I have experienced this first-hand. I built a business around my Zone of Genius, and what I have discovered is that using my talent as the fuel for my business has provided not only an opportunity to focus on being an expert at something I am already good at, but has given me access to an endless well of opportunity.Start with these three actions and do them for a month. Then go back to the 10 questions and see if youve improved. Believing in yourself is not only a tool for unlimited success- its something that could change your life.More From Inc.5 Mind-Blowing Lessons From the Most Popular TED Talks of All TimeThe Best Way to Get Tons of Referrals20 Things You Should Leave Off Your Resume and LinkedIn ProfilePhoto of happy person courtesy of Shutterstock.

Recommended Jobs and how to use it

Recommended Jobs and how to use itRecommended Jobs and how to use itRecommended Jobs works by sending you jobs that meet your specific requirements.Soyou gain the $100K+ jobs that match you with step-by-step ease.First, you sign up with Ladders and provide information tailored to your needs.This includes your experience, goals, salary expectations and basic personal information, like Zip Code.As a result, Ladders targets open positions in the public arena using this information and from our database created by high-end businesses searching for talent like you.Your Recommended JobsOnce signed up, simply click the icon with your name beside it. Its in the top right corner of your screen. And choose Job Preferencesfrom thedropdown box.Easy, right? It stays that way.So heres what you see when tailoring your recommended jobs.First of all, youll want to narrow down or add specialities in your professional role. ClickEdit to add or remove individual items, then save.The same goes for your p rofessional title in the box below. Choose Edit to provide information. Recent salary, desired salary and the radius (if any), you want targeted by us in relation to your Zip Code can all be added here.And you can edit these details at any time using the same simple process.So What Happens Next?We start targeting recommended jobs the moment you provide the tailoring.Every time you sign in to your Ladders account, youll see a list of jobs weve found on your behalf, based on the information you shared.This process is based on hi-tech algorithms that discover open positions in your sortiment and pull in all available information and any related data.All you have to do is peruse and choose.Anything Else?Youre about to benefit a lot from that question.Due to data pulled in by our search algorithms being so comprehensive, we break it down into a series of opportunity-based categories for you, which includeNew jobs just posted, designed to give you an application advantage.Jobs not to be f ound on other career sites.Great fits offering a higher salary than your desired salary.Jobs answering any saved searches youve made in your account.Openings offered by some of the hottest companies around that match you.Above all, these recommended job categories are delivered directly to your email inbox. This allows you to see opportunities on the move, adding a powerful advantage to a potentially perfect match.To ensure youre receiving these, simply go to Emailsfrom the same dropdown box described at the top,and make sure all the options under Ladders Jobs are marked on. The button should appear green, as shown.Above all, we recommend that you choose on for all other options in this section, so you can enjoy the complete Ladders experience.Hope that helpsWere rooting for you.Ladders TeamLearning LaddersPopular member questions with actionable answers.One question at a time. One step at a time.Why should I add my online contacts to Ladders?How do I write a Resume that gives me an edge?Why should I upgrade to Premium Club membership?So how do I make simple updates and changes?How do I search and sort my jobs page for great results?Whats Scout all about? Should I be concerned?How do I make sure I get job matches I want?What is Ladders philosophy?Why has Ladders become so successful?What is Ladders Profile for Professionals?

5 Good Reasons Your Boss Should Let You Work From Home

5 Good Reasons Your Boss Should Let You Work From Home5 Good Reasons Your Boss Should Let You Work From HomeWorking from home is a popular perk nowadays, with many companies maintaining as many as 30 to 45 percent of staff members as contract, freelance or virtual employees. Some companies have even gone in the opposite direction of Marissa Mayers famous no work from home policy by maintaining a 100 percent virtual team.Many factors make this a more viable option for employees and employers alike, including increased access to technology and changing expectations for work-life balance. But for those who havent yet been able to find a job that allows them to work from home full-time, theres often one question on your mind how can I convince my boss to let me work from home?Get Started By Being RealisticBefore we jump into several serious reasons your boss should consider letting you work from home, we have a few friendly remindersFirst, if you canbedrngnis perform your job virtually, you are simply out of luck. Many positions still require a face-to-face physical presence that canelend be replicated by Skype chats and phone calls, such as classroom teachers, hair dressers and retail positions. If thats you but you despetarifly want to work from home, you need to consider changing fields.Second, if youre new to a company and the company is not a virtual operation, youre better off focusing on how you can improve your relationships and establish yourself as a committed contributor rather than negotiating to get out of the sekretariat. Since much of a virtual relationship is based on trust, you need to prove that you are trustworthy before you ask to work without onsite supervision.Finally, its up to you to remove all of the obstacles you possibly can. Set up a fully operational home office with high-speed Internet, printer and phone. Paint the picture that working from home is more than an upgrade for your work-life balance its a relocation of your fully-functiona l office that happens to be in your home.Next, Build the Business CaseWhen the time comes to request a flexible schedule, theres one main thought that should guide your discussion. While your boss is concerned with your morale and removing as many barriers to your productivity as possible, her No. 1 priority is still the bottom line. To convince your boss to let you work from home, you need to present the business case for it as well as the personal case.Here are five solid reasons that you can use to present the case that you can do your work from home1. It will help you do your job betterDoes the open-concept office disrupt your concentration time? Are you finding that its only in moments that you steal away into privacy that you can really concentrate and get your job done? If so, emphasize the fact that working from home will help you do your job better. Not only will you have more control over your working environment and be better suited to avoid disturbances but you will be a ble to deliver higher quality work faster.The Harvard Business Review shared the results of what happened when the Chinese travel company Ctrip transitioned half its employees to at-home jobs. Not only did the company save $1,900 per employee over the course of nine months, but the data showed that employees working from home completed 13.5 percent more calls than the office staff did.2. It will make you happier and more motivated to work longer hoursHaving control of your working environment and the freedom to do your job in peace (without a heinous commute) directly leads to a higher level of worker happiness, satisfaction and motivation. Each of these factors contributes to a phenomenon Ctrip saw with its virtual employees they worked longer hours, took shorter breaks and needed fewer sick days because they didnt fall prey to the distracting and time-consuming cake in the breakroom effect.Furthermore, the Ctrip study also showed that the employees who worked from home quit at hal f the rate of the people in the office and reported much higher job satisfaction.3. It will solve a problem for youIn many cases it seems like the only solution to a job that bothers you is to quit and find a new one. But working from home allows you to address whats bothering you about your current job rather than start the job hunting process all over again. Working from home can fix problems such as a need for flexibility, a stressful commute or even a drama-filled workplace. Its in your bosss best interest to solve as many of your problems as possible to avoid the costly process of hiring a replacement.If you have an extremely long commute and your boss knows it, its worth mentioning that this will greatly improve your overall lifestyle and productivity. However, dont threaten to leave the company if you dont get your way. Instead, approach this as a possible solution to solve a problem that you are struggling with.4. It will not affect your strong, established relationshipsA pr imary concern about working from home is losing valuable face-to-face communication opportunities. But you can go a long way in alleviating your bosss fears by reassuring her that the technology available today and your comfort level with it guarantees continued engagement and communication no matter where you work. Strong, established relationships work just as well by email, phone and teleconference as they do in person, and youll still be available for in-person meetings on an as-needed basis.5. Other companies have made this change and seen impressive resultsWe all look to examples of others to lead the way when were trying something new, and your boss is no exception. Do some preliminary research to find out how other companies in your industry handle virtual staff members and whether or not theyve seen a lot of improvement. Ctrip and JetBlue are two examples cited in the Harvard Business Review, and both companies experienced increased productivity and engagement from their virtual employees. British Telecom estimated a 20 percent increase in productivity when it allowed flexible work arrangements. Other big name companies include Dell, American Express, Humana, SAP and Xerox.Working from home is not something you can take for granted, and transitioning into a work-from-home relationship with your company may take time. After all, youre asking for something that the company may or may not completely grasp on an operational level. The best thing you can do is be a part of the conversation in a positive and proactive way, outlining the business case for this change right along with the lifestyle case for your career.