I often hear when speaking to people trying to break into the media, “I can’t” I hope that’s what they are saying otherwise I’d be mightily offended. Seriously though people think of a million excuses why they can’t or shouldn’t do something. It’s like a part of your brain wants to rationalise you out of doing something different. Something tells you, well if I do that then I might fail/ be made fun off/ get myself into debt/offend people, so I won’t and I’ll stick in my comfort zone.

I have been chatting at various events this week and one of the common things I hear is “what will I do when?” People have asked me “if I get a job for six months what happens after that?” I know I’m good but I’m not a blooming fortune teller I often tell them. Focus on the now, focus on what you can change now and the future will sort itself out. Too often when you are so focused on the coulda shoulda wouldas of the future you lose track of what you want now and why you want to work in the media. This often reflects in the interview process and people come across as if they are so focused on future roles that they don’t want to do the job they are being interviewed for. Whether that’s true or not that lack of focus often reads that way to the interviewer.

If you want to work or achieve something then first of all believe that you can. Then start planning how you are going to get there. Persevere with it. Take rejection and hurdles as lessons to learn and adapt. Focus on the stages and be grateful for all you’ve done and how far you’ve come. When you start panicking, you start to question yourself and then you focus on the things that can go wrong. Take a deep breath and make a note of what you want to do and what you’ve done so far. Sometimes by journaling your experiences you can truly appreciate how far you’ve come.

Don’t let yourself be your own worst enemy. When those inner voices tell you that you can’t, tell them to shut up and say yes I can!