Let’s talk about bad words.  Not the four letter one’s that are banned from church or the one’s the make you blush.  Growing up ‘hate’, ‘shut-up’, and ‘lie’ (I grew up in the South-ok) were also big no no’s because they were hurtful and damaging.

When I think about the one word that hurts and damages careers, it’s the word, should.  You likely did not gasp or clutch your pearls at that word but you should (see what I did there ;0)

There is something limiting about should, pretentious even. Should carries a tone of scolding and promotes an attitude of inadequacy.

Have you ever had these thoughts:

“I should be making more money.” “I should be further ahead in my career by now.”  How about, “I should be doing better.”

I’ve never felt empowered to take action after have a series of “I should” thoughts.  In fact, I felt the opposite, and if I’m really being honest, I’ve had times where I should-ed my way into thinking I was a low-life.

There’s no action in should thoughts.  Should thoughts tend to make us forget about all the good things we’ve accomplished and focus only on what we haven’t. And that’s what keeps us stuck. Even if we know we want more, the should’s keep us from getting there because if you should be doing something that must mean that you aren’t doing it currently, right?

Should is like a termite that chips away at the way we frame our thoughts about our careers. It creates holes in our confidence and ambitions.

What would happen if you re-framed those same thoughts to be empowering?

“I will make more money.” “I will get further ahead in my career.”  How about, “I will get better.”

Affirmative thoughts aren’t going to get you where you want to be but they will help you see the good in yourself so that you can take the necessary steps towards your goals.

It’s so important to have an empowered, action oriented frame of mind when pursuing a career or any change for that matter.  Don’t limit yourself with joy-stealing, accomplishment-robbing thoughts.  The fact that you are ready to take control over your career is a step in the right direction. You can and will accomplish you goals if you focus on what you’ve done, what you can do and not on what or where you should be.