5 Excuses That Sabotage Your Career Dreams

5 Excuses That Sabotage Your Career Dreams5 Excuses That Sabotage Your Career DreamsLooking for a job that satisfies your career dreams? Be carefulIt begins during the job search, and it can continue right through your career if youre not aware of itsdanger.Its easy to get hooked. Its hard to break free. It can take over your whole life and you wont actually landsee it until you look back on it in your later years and sigh with a sigh thats fully laden with resigned regret. (Cue the music of doom.)No, Im not talking about some insidious disease or newfound addiction.Im talking about failure. Im talking about how easy it is to choose to fail, even if you dont know youre doing it. Im talking about the use of the biggest sabotage tool out there the excuseFor some strange reason, in the job search process or in the job itself once a person has secured it, it becomes easier for many people to use excuses to prevent them from getting or enjoying a GREAT job.Looking to fulfill your career d reams? Here are the top five most popular excuses used by thousandsThese five excuses need to be seen for what they are reasons to fail at finding or having your dream job. Theyre permission-giving hall passes. Lets debrief these excuses a little to see how to debunk them.1. Im not a lucky person. Great careers are a matter of luck. A person has to be in the right place at the right time and know exactly the right people to get the best jobs. Ill be happy with a good job. Its good enough to have a good job.Debunking Excuse 1 Luck might be part of it, but its certainly not the biggest part of having an amazing career. Choice, action, and ambition play a bigger role than luck does, hands down.2. Only geniuses live their passion.Some people are brilliant and succeed at whatever they touch and while Im very intelligent (and good-looking, I might add), I just dont have the stroke of genius it takes to do what these people do. Im ok with that.Debunking Excuse 2 Passionate people live out their passions not merely their interests, and intelligence (or genius) isnt the determining factor. If you discover your passion, seize it and run with it- you have a far better chance of loving what you do than settling into something thats merely good enough.3. Im not creative enough. People who follow their bliss, as they say, are a little strange. They wear funny clothes, they dont care what others think, and they are- well- weird. Youd have to be silly to do what they do. Im just normal, so here I am.Debunking Excuse 3 People who follow their bliss are determined and focused, not weird. Theyre exactly not normal, because they stand out above the rest. Youve heard of the expression why be normal? This is exactly the right question to ask. Besides, normal is boring.4. I just need to work harder.People with great careers work super hard, and so far Im working hard but havent run with this yet. I havent had time. When I get to a place where I can, I will. Probably.Debunking Excuse 4 Working hard makes for a good job and working harder makes for a great job? Really? I believe this mathematical equation is incorrect.I know a lot of people who work exceedingly hard and definitely wouldnt say they have great careers as a result. Be wary of this one.Choose something you want to do in the first place when searching for a job, and then the hard work you do will feel rewarding.People who follow their passions say resoundingly that if the fit is right, it doesnt even feel like work much of the time.Ask anyone who feels called to what they do and loves it, and youll see the pleasure they take in what they do much of the time. Who wouldnt want that?5. I have a family to think about. Its a matter of priority, and Im not willing to sacrifice my relationships for the sake of my career. Ill leave that to people who want to put their work first. Most of these successful people are married to their jobs. I want to stay married to my spouse and be a good parent.Debunking Excu se 5 Its entirely possible that having a great career that you love AND having a family and relationships you care about isnt an either/or situation. Lots of people have both. Using this excuse is a rampant practice and works particularly effectively, sadly.So how can you avoid these excuse-traps when searching for your dream job or choosing a career path? Here are a few tipsBe aware of them. Recognizing excuses is the first step in eliminating them.Be HONEST with yourself. Be who you are and honor your authenticity when making your career choices.Be ready for failure. In creating a great career, youll have episodes of failure. Its guaranteed that every successful person has had these, and bylearning to overcome the failures, has excelled. Of course we are all afraid of failing, and those who have failed anyway, learned from the experience, and stillcarried on are the ones who are now successful.Be okay with your choices. Some might consider you to be different if you choose to forg e ahead (ok, read weird if you must). Embrace thisBe willing to risk a little and grow. This is what happens in a great job in the first place. If youre uncomfortable with growth and change, learn how to debunk your excuses above.Be able to trust yourself. Youre an amazing and unique individual with skills and talents and undoubtedly untapped potential. Get out of your own way, quit sabotaging your success, and just do itReaders, how do you combat your negativity and excuses in the search for your career dreams? Tell us in the comment section belowJennifer Swanson is the author of a best-selling new book What They See How to Stand Out and Shine in Your New Job. She has taught communication and human relation skills since 1993 to college students entering the medical field. She is also the creator and host of the Communication Diva Podcast, which has an international audience and helps people deepen workplace and personal relationships through more effective communication. Swanson ha s a masters degree in public and pastoral leadership and is a certified conflict coach and master NLP practitioner. Shes also a mother and stepmother to two young adults and two teensand to a four-legged hairy little beast named Bandit. You can connect with Jennifer on Twitter JennSwanson2 and on iTunes with the Communication Diva Podcast.