Who Is Your Inspiration?
Curt Skene’s In2Win! Career Coaching Supplement.
When you face these challenging times it’s important to have a source of personal inspiration to keep you motivated and get you through the tough days. When executives allow themselves to drown in despair they get stuck in a hellish dream and lose much of their job search potential. Finding inspiration is like a flip of a switch and it allows you to see things very differently.
Inspiration turns a struggle into a challenge and a setback into an opportunity. Inspiration gives you energy, purpose, direction and it reminds you that you can do almost anything you put your mind to. Writing is a great source of inspiration so commit to doing it daily.
Even the words you say to yourself and others can have an amazing influence. Look within your circle of influence and draw strength from those who have inspired you the most. It doesn’t matter who you choose as long as you respect them, then draw out the positive, learn from it and emulate the great things they did to succeed.
Always remember you can find inspiration in a spouse, partner, family member, celebrity, hero or another executive who has been in transition and handled it with the same dignity and class you wish to demonstrate. Take time to ask others what has worked for them, how they overcame their challenges and pick out the advice that makes the most sense to you. The most important lesson you can learn is how a small change in attitude can strengthen your resolve during this time.
A strong role model can expand what you believe is possible and show you how to move forward.
Why I Wrote This Page
Because having a concrete example of someone who’s already achieved what you want expands your own sense of what’s actually possible for you.
This is sometimes called possible-selves theory: a vivid, specific example is far more motivating than an abstract goal, because it makes the outcome feel real and reachable rather than theoretical. A role model isn’t just comforting to think about. They’re functionally recalibrating your own ceiling, showing you a version of success your brain can actually picture yourself living.
This works best when the example is specific, not a vague “successful people,” but one real person whose actual path you can study.
Action Steps
- Name one specific person, someone you know personally if possible, who has been through this and landed well.
- Ask them directly what they told themselves in their hardest weeks, not just what they did.
- Keep a visible reminder of your inspiration, a note, a quote, something you see daily during the search.
In2Win! Afterthought
Curt’s current observations and updated guidance will be added here.
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