I watched a movie over the weekend that was a breath of fresh air and a good reminder of THE POWER OF THINKING POSITIVELY. “The Secret: Dare to Dream” is a feel-good movie based on a best-selling book, “The Secret,” which focuses on the power of positivity and how one’s mindset can almost always impact the outcome. If you haven’t seen this movie, I encourage you to watch it!
Without giving anything away, the movie portrays a family that has been stricken with years of pain and repeated terrible luck. The family has come to accept those bad things will always happen to them and, even before things happen, assume that it will end badly.
Many of you have come to realize my love/hate relationship with golf. It is physically challenging but MENTALLY PARALYZING at times.
Today, I want to share some of the positive lessons from this movie, hoping that you can apply them to your interviewing and everyday mindset.
There is an old saying that goes, “if you think in your head that you will miss the putt, then you have already missed it.” Interviews, especially when not currently employed, can seem like that too.
Mentally paralyzing!
“The more you think about something, the more you draw it to you.”
In the movie, they compare this lesson to a magnet that can attract an object to a power that cannot be seen. Have you ever gone into an interview thinking you were not qualified for a role or nervous about the interviewer asking specific questions?
Then they do…
Thinking about the wrong things going into an interview or during an interview can sometimes attract those things into the conversation. Maybe it’s the fact that we try so hard to avoid talking about something that we don’t realize that the interviewer picks up on it or something else. Either way, focus on thinking about things that make you shine.
This positive thinking will draw the interviewer to the points that make you unique and a potential asset for their company.
“You have to be careful because we get what we expect.” And “When I think about what I want, instead of what I don’t want, my life seems better.”
When we jump back to my golf analogy and the two lessons that hit home so well, you begin to think about the things you want. Now envision it happening and focus on positive outcomes. When you practice this positive thinking every day, you will be happier and more confident. And those around you will take notice!
If I expect that I will miss the putt or expect that I will not get the job, I might as well accept the fact that I have already committed to proving myself right. Our mindset and attitude can instantly impact our confidence, and often, those three items are some of the critical attributes that interviewers are trying to gauge.
I’m not saying the Rolling Stones were wrong when they said, “You can’t always get what you want.” However, I bet there were plenty of people who told the Rolling Stones early on they would fail.
They didn’t listen because they were a little too busy thinking about becoming the greatest Rock Bands ever to play.
“I’m open to the possibility that everything that happens, even the bad stuff, can lead to better things.”
As I said, the Rolling Stones were not wrong. “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes you find… You get what you need.” After all, the power of positivity boils down to two things.
Your mindset going in
Your mindset moving forward
Interviewing is not easy. If it were, then employers would stop doing it and just start drawing names from a hat.
At the end of the day, though, YOU must commit in your heart and your mind that YOU CAN!