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Why is it we can be moving forward in our careers, wowing the bosses and are convinced we’re on the fast track up the company ladder and then suddenly, we find ourselves right in the middle of a war with ourselves?  Everything from, “They’re going to laugh me out of the conference room” to “What was I thinking?! This is never going to work?” The short answer is “human nature”. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, says A. Harrison Barnes, founder of Hound.com and renowned career coach. He says the smallest things can trigger a major case of self-doubt. We might overhear a conversation in the hallway of the PowerPoint presentation by the new job candidate that’s going to impress the big bosses or it could be that we hear there are going to be new job openings in our department. From there, it becomes a downward spiral as we begin to wonder if the head honchoes are grooming a new candidate to take our jobs or it could be we begin to wonder if we’ve stagnated and are stuck in a creative rut.

The fact is that we do get stuck in those proverbial ruts from time to time. And too, we also realize we’ve served our purpose in our current role and have discovered the ceiling we didn’t think existed. Now what?  You have three choices: keep the status quo and begin a long-term relationship with resentment, request a promotion or you can begin to look for a new career opportunity that provides breathing room, a chance for promotion and of course, a new challenge. The key is to not become your own worst enemy in the process. It becomes difficult to break those patterns once they’ve set in.

But what if you already identify with those self-defeating emotions?  As A. Harrison Barnes points out, it comes down to mind over matter. Your first – and perhaps most difficult task – is to make up your mind it and stop those emotions here and now. Once you’ve changed your thought process and are looking at things from a different perspective, you can see better your options. In fact, many of those who are seeking new positions right now on Hound.com are doing so because they know it’s time for a change. While many job candidates are unemployed, Barnes says there are high percentages that are still in their current positions, but are testing the waters for what the job market might now be offering.

Bottom line: this is one of those trials in life that you go forward on your own energies. No one else can do it for you and no one else can tell you if it’s time for a change. While that’s overwhelming for some, most people thrive on knowing whatever happens next in their lives rests solely on their shoulders. Barnes says it’s liberating and energizing; but it’s also important to act on it. So whether you ultimately set out to find that new nursing job or seek out a promotion in your current engineering career, don’t become your own worst enemy.

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