Listen, if you're reading this article, you're probably not looking for a standard "how to write a resume" story. There are already plenty of those, and frankly: they don't work for shit if you really want to get to the top.
What we are going to talk about today is the raw reality of career making. The psychological warfare inside your own head and the hidden forces of your unconscious that determine whether you are a leader or a follower.
My name is Edwin Selij, and I'm going to tell you why your career is probably on the handbrake right now and how to pull that handbrake off with brute force.
The myth of the hard worker
Let's immediately dispel a myth: hard work is not the key to success. If hard work were the only variable, then the people who combine three jobs to make ends meet would be the richest people on earth. They aren't. Making a career is about psychology. It's about how you are programmed.
Research shows that factors such as "self-efficacy" (the deep belief in your own ability), resilience and internal motivation are much more important to your career development than your degrees. A study of career development found that these psychological foundations determine how far you get[1].
If you believe deep down inside that you are not worth it, or that success is "for others," your unconscious will sabotage every opportunity that comes along . You won't even see the opportunities, or you'll talk yourself out of them with excuses.
The psychology of success: Are you a proactive player or a spectator?
Most people sit in the stands of their own lives. They watch the game and hope the coach (their boss) sends them out on the field one day . Spoiler: that's not going to happen. Successful careers are built by people with a "proactive personality. This is not a character trait you are born with, it is a way of being.
Research on personality and career success shows that people who act proactively and score high on certain "Big Five" personality traits[2], such as conscientiousness and emotional stability, simply earn more and get promoted faster. This is partly because they are proactive in learning new skills and improving their professional abilities[3].
If you're proactive, you don't wait for a performance review to talk about your ambitions. You create the situation. But why don't most people do this? Fear. The fear of rejection, the fear of being "too much," the fear of failure. That's where your unconscious program comes around the corner again. Your "proactive personality" is trapped under a layer of social conditioning.
Adaptability: The darwin of the workplace
Today's job market is not that of your father or grandfather. The world is changing faster than ever due to digitization and AI. If you think you are safe now with what you learned 10 years ago, you are already finished.
'Career adaptability' , your ability to adapt to changing circumstances, is the most important currency of our time. People who are flexible and constantly update their skills not only experience more success, but are also more satisfied with their careers.
You should think of yourself as a software package that needs an update every week. In the modern economy, digital literacy is no longer an "extra," it is a basic requirement for survival[4]. If you refuse to keep up with the times, you become irrelevant. And irrelevance is killing your career.
What can you do SELF? (Without excuses)
Let's get practical. You can keep waiting for the government or your employer to take care of something for you, but you can wait a long time. You have to take charge. How do you do that?
- Increase your Self-Efficacy (belief in your own abilities): Start with small victories. Your brain needs proof that you can do what you say you can. Each time you complete a challenging task, your self-confidence grows. This is a process that adds up each time.
- Develop a proactive attitude: Stop asking for permission and start proposing solutions. A proactive personality is directly linked to subjective and objective career success, especially if your EQ is also in order[5].
- Network like a professional: No, not that awkward stuff at get-togethers. Build real relationships. Your network is your "net worth. Opportunities often lie outside your immediate circle.
- Keep learning: The world is not waiting for you. Whether you're exploring entrepreneurship or embracing new technologies, standing still is going backwards.
- Increase your "Career Adaptability. Be willing to change course. The most successful people are not those who do the same thing for 30 years, but those who can translate their core skills into new contexts[6].
The secret turbo: hypnosis
Now we come to the part that most "career coaches" get nervous about, but which for me is everyday stuff. You can read so many books on management, if your unconscious belief is that you're "really just an imposter" (the famous imposter syndrome), you're never going to make that step to the top.
Hypnosis is not a trick with a swinging pocket watch. It is surgery for your mind. It allows you to intervene directly into the source code of your behavior: your unconscious. It is already helping to motivate you more, something that was tested during the covid period, because so much work was done at home[7].
But it does more than that.
1. Performance anxiety and stress
Many people block out when it really matters. An important presentation, a salary negotiation, a meeting with a board member. Your heart is racing, your voice is shaking, and you forget half of what you wanted to say.
Hypnosis can neutralize these stress reactions. Scientific research shows that hypnosis is a powerful tool to reduce performance anxiety and improve focus[8].
2. Reprogramming limiting beliefs
You are the result of the programs you were taught between the ages of 0 and 7. "Just do it", "Money is the root of all evil", "Who do you think you are?". These unconscious scripts run in the background of your career.
With hypnosis, you can not only identify these beliefs, but also overwrite them with programs of success and abundance. Hypnotic suggestions can dramatically increase your self-efficacy, aligning your actions with your aspirations[9].
3. Self-hypnosis for focus and goals
The most successful people I know use forms of self-hypnosis to "burn" their goals into their unconscious. Once your unconscious has accepted a goal as a fait accompli, it moves toward that goal like a guiding weapon.
You begin to see patterns, recognize opportunities and make decisions that will get you there. Clinical hypnosis and self-hypnosis have been used for decades to optimize performance in a variety of fields.
4. Suggestion and behavior modification
It is one thing to know what to do (consciously), it is quite another to actually do it (unconsciously).
Hypnotic suggestions can bridge the gap between knowing and doing. It helps you install new habits faster and let go of old, destructive ones. Research on someone with social anxiety showed that the combination of hypnosis and self-hypnosis helped them behave professionally during social settings and get rid of anxiety even 6 months later[10].
Why you need to take action NOW
Most people wait for the "right time. They wait until they feel "ready. Let me help you out of that dream: you never feel 100% ready. Growth happens in the zone of discomfort.
If you look at your career and you are not where you want to be, there is a mismatch between your conscious goals and your unconscious programming. You can try to solve that mismatch by working harder, but that's like trying to run a marathon with your laces tied together. You'll just get tired and get nowhere.
You have to untie the laces. You have to get to the core.
The key lies in the depth
Making a career is an inner game. Yes, you need skills. Yes, you need to know the right people. But without the right psychological attitude, without resilience, self-efficacy and a proactive mindset, you will always hit a glass ceiling. And that ceiling is usually in your own head.
Use science. Understand that your personality and adaptability are your greatest assets. But also be smart enough to use the "shortcut" that hypnosis offers. Stop talking about what you want to accomplish and start reprogramming the machine to do it: YOU.
It's time to wake up from the hypnosis of mediocrity and embrace the hypnosis of success. The world is at your feet, but only if you are willing to take control of your own mind.
Get started. No more excuses.
Learn Hypnosis
Do you want to help yourself and others make a career? Then knowledge of hypnosis is incredibly helpful.
Come to the free online master class on hypnosis for an introduction.
Or register for one of our events and trainings.
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