Doing things because we should do, ought to or must do can make life a chore and we can become a victim of our circumstances. Lacking purpose can sap our drive and energy. While you are searching for a job it is important to keep your drive and personal energy high and not to allow yourself to be discouraged. This is easier said than done when a day can begin with a list of “have to’s” Having time without energy is like having a car that has run out of fuel. Perhaps we have enthusiastically set out to exercise more but when it comes to it we can’t find the energy. Or maybe we find it difficult to summon up the energy to have a meaningful conversation with our loved ones, play with our children or maintain the drive to achieve our ambitions fo9r finding a good job. Our state of mind and physiology effects our drive and energy, determines our response to others and has a significant impact on our long term health. It can be difficult to interact effectively with other people when we are feeling down, anxious or lacking in self-belief. I’ve been asked many times the secret for ‘keeping my battery charged’ and strengthening my resilience. Many clients have wanted to learn how to use their physiology and frame of mind to charge up their batteries and how to take control of the negative drains on their energy levels like stress, worry and conflict. In my experience it’s about using a wide variety of tools and techniques and these can be boiled down into 3 main areas.......Tenacity, Action and Optimism. Tenacity - is about being responsible for everything that is going on in your life and holding fast to your rights and principles. My Drive and Energy come from feeling good about myself and what I am doing. Being able to look in the mirror and like what you see! Whatever happens in my life I ask myself “How am I responsible?” I create my own reality so it’s important that I take responsibility for it, even if it’s not quite what I want! At least then I am in a position to do something about it. Feeling powerless or holding a victim mentality, failing to keep your agreements and integrity will all SAP your Energy. True integrity is based on consistently keeping your Agreements. Every day you make agreements and every day you will be judged by others on the way you act after making those agreements. There is no such thing as a small agreement. Simply by maintaining your integrity you will stand out from the crowd ………….. When you always tell the truth – people trust you When you do what you agree to, as promised, people respect you When you make others feel special, people like you Action – is just what it is. Do nothing and you get nothing. The world rewards action. Action creates movement, movement creates change, change presents challenges, challenges can be overcome. It is continuous cycle.Building habits that keep you healthy and happy, reading that book you meant to, doing that exercise class, taking that walk. Getting rid of unhealthy habits that drag you down and sap your energy such as moping about, watching depressing TV, mixing with negative people. All of these are choices and if they are choices you have the power to change them. When I feel myself slipping into lethargy and negativity, just taking action, doing something different....anything! is the single most beneficial thing I can do. Finally Optimism - it really does pay to be an optimist. The optimist, confronted with a crisis or a critical illness has a better chance of survival than the pessimist. Optimism can be learned and developed just like muscle and it will give you the drive and the energy you need to embrace your amazing future. If you expect the best, you will get it, if you believe that everything is happening perfectly, it probably will, if you have confidence and faith in yourself so will others. Writing this has reminded me how important these things have been to me over the past few months as we have started our business. Sometimes I have had to strongly resist allowing negativity, pessimism and doubt to invade my mind. If you are unemployed or looking for a job it is easy to slip into negativity and pessimism. You can keep your drive and energy high by being tenacious, taking action to apply for every suitable job, being optimistic about the future no matter how it looks on the surface and keeping on keeping on! You will eventually find your perfect job. Job Prospector will help you to organise yourself and your applications. You can find out how by visiting my website (see the link in the About the Author panel beside this article) I wish you success with your day and challenge you to do something different that energises and enthuses you.....keep smiling! Have a great day!