Bye Bye Negative Thought #1:
“I can’t do anything other than what I’m doing right now.”
SO many of my doctor colleagues and mom friends struggle with negative thoughts that make them feel trapped, desperate and defeated.
For example, many believe that the job they have now is the only job they can ever have in medicine and they just have to endure it - even when it’s horrible and sucking the life out of them.
I have a counterintuitive exercise I recommend that can work wonders on this totally false and negative thought.
It’s called “Positive Jealousy”
Now, I know that you were warned as a child to avoid the green-eyed monster, and not to feel jealous because nice girls (or boys) don’t feel jealous; instead they’re gracious and grateful.
Well … positive jealousy can actually be an amazing tool to help you make your life better.
Here’s what I mean.
Last year, I was super jealous of my business coach Susan Hyatt. Susan was organizing fucking AMAZING retreats for women in glamorous locations all around the world - like France, Scotland, and Italy. OMG...I was so jealous! It looked amazing! I wanted to be there.
I had a huge shift when I realized I could use positive jealousy to identify what I wanted and create it for myself, instead of just feeling pissed off and sorry for myself that I didn’t have what Susan had.
I realized that I wanted to create retreats for women. I wanted to go to amazing places and have amazing experiences doing what I love. So I leveled up but I did it!
I just held my first Women in the Wild retreat, and it was a huge success! We had 31 women who came together for 24 hours for outdoor adventures, yoga, and personal development. It was so much fun.
So I ask you, where are you feeling jealous? Maybe it’s that colleague or doctor friend who just got back from Mexico and posted fabulous pictures. Or it’s another friend who looks like she is having fun at work.
How might you channel that positive jealousy to create an opportunity or possibility for yourself?
How might you think outside the box?
Don’t let yourself take the easy way out. (“It’s easy for her to go part-time; her spouse makes a ton of money.” “My administrator would never agree to the arrangement she has.” “She’s always been brave and things come easy for her.”)
Admit to yourself what it is that you want in your professional situation!
Then ASK FOR IT!
If you want some pointers on how to ask, check out my new free guide, Asking for What You Need at Work.
And if you’d love to talk to someone about how to take the sting out of the thought “I can’t do anything other than what I’m doing right now,” book a free 60-minute colleague-to-colleague call. I’d love to talk to you!