What do you say to yourself when you mess up? How about when a meeting doesn’t go as well as you hoped?

Whether your transition stems from a loss, a career disruption such as a layoff, or a life change such as retirement or an empty nest, the stories you tell yourself can profoundly affect how your transition unfolds.

As our nation navigates the shifts from recent elections, many of us are also experiencing personal changes in our lives and careers.

There are numerous studies showing that negative self-talk can sabotage test performance, produce stage fright and undermine success in business negotiations.

Do you feel that you’re on automatic pilot as you jump from task to task throughout your day? Are you often overwhelmed by your obligations and commitments?

In an earlier blog, I introduced the concept of the “good enough for now” job and discussed how reframing from “this job sucks” to “this job is good enough for now” can shift you from feeling trapped in a dead-end job to feeling hopeful and in control of your life.

Are you stuck in a job that no longer aligns with who you are? Do you feel trapped in a meaningless role dreaming of a new career but have no idea what that might look like?

At some time or other, many of us have felt we were stuck in a rut with no way out. The good news is that resetting your thinking – as these women learned to do – can help you discover creative ways to get unstuck.

Have you ever caught yourself thinking: “It’s too late to (fill in the blank – start that business, change careers, relocate to where you’ve always wanted to live)” or “I should be ____ (at a certain career stage” or “earning $___ or retired) by now?”

There are times in our careers when our world is rocked, or we hit a turning point. We can continue a path that’s no longer working for us or we can choose a different direction.