When we were children, our parents always told us that we could do anything we set our mind to do. I’ll never forget that story The Little Engine That Could. The scariest part about what our parents said was that they were almost always right. When your Mom or Dad said you could ride that bike, you did. When they said you could climb that ladder, you did. And when they said you could drive that car with a clutch, you finally did.

So what happened to us when we left home? Did we just forget that we could do anything? Did our peers and acquaintances make such a negative and lasting impression on us that we simply forgot what our parents told us? I am here to tell you that it is time to relearn some old lessons.

I must admit that I fell prey to the same demons that everyone else did and forgot what I could accomplish for a long time. But, with the help of a friend, I have slowly started remembering that I can accomplish anything.

Change Your Attitude

The first thing I did was change my attitude. I watched my friend start an exercise program and loose 20 pounds. I started a similar exercise program with great success because I was beginning to believe that I could do it. My friend got laid off from work and got a job within three weeks because he knew he could do it. I decided to be a better person and pay closer attention to the needs of my friends and family and I did, because I knew I could. All in all, I changed my attitude.

Now all of these changes did not go smoothly. At my age, I sprained my ankle and ended up having to postpone my exercise program for two weeks. Nevertheless, I steeled my resolve because I knew that I could.


Setbacks

When something sets you back or does not go as planned, just look at it as learning experience and always keep in the back of your mind that you can do anything you set your mind to do.

Once you change your attitude, set goals that are achievable in the short term and start multiple projects at one time. This way, even if one or two of your initial attempts do not work out immediately, you will still be able to maintain a positive attitude with your successes on other fronts.

If something does fail, evaluate why you think it failed and make changes. Keep trying until you get it right because guess what, you can do anything you set your mind to do. As you achieve more successes your confidence will grow and you will notice that things become easier to do.

Inspiration to pass along

My inspiration to make changes in my life comes from a close friend who decided he needed to get a better paying job. This was about 5 years ago and he was working for just over $30K a year and decided to finish his degree. So, he attended school four nights a week for almost two years until he received a bachelor’s degree. Within one month of receiving the degree he accepted a position earning in excess of $50K a year because he knew that he could do it.

After several years working and then a six month layoff, he was working again making about $45K a year. This was just last year. He decided that he needed to go to extreme measures to increase his salary again.

So, he spent a week or so revamping his entire resume which was packed with some impressive skills. He practiced his approach to the interview process and began looking for a new job. Within three weeks, he got an interview, received an offer and began earning in excess of $70K a year.

Over the course of 5 years, my friend went from making $30K a year to making over $70K a year because he knew that he could do anything he set his mind to do. His story has become my motivation to change my attitude and achieve those things that I thought I could not do for such a long time. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and do whatever you want because I know you can do it and you should know it to.

Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook (http://www.JobSearchHandbook.com). As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively.