Expect the best. If all you can focus on are negative outcomes, your possibilities shrink and eventually you will need to seek professional help. The story you tell yourself, good or bad, manifest themselves in your external world. People who believe they deserve success and happiness usually attract it.

If you believe you’re worthy of good things, you’ll take a chance. If you’re not willing to take a chance, you’re not going anywhere. Period.

When you undervalue yourself and your work, so do others. So when you lowball your prices you cheat yourself. The more people pay, the more they appreciate your work. You deserve to be paid well for your work. You deserve nice things. You must believe that, because if you don’t, you will never have money – and when you do, you’ll blow it.

Envy is another career killer. Comparing yourself against others is unhealthy and ultimately meaningless. The best thing (and sometimes the worst thing) about being human is your uniqueness. Learn from other’s mistakes, but don’t make the mistake of thinking they are better or worse than you are. They are different. You are different. Exploit that fact, and rejoice in it.

Another career killer is the false story that there is too much competition, not enough money to go around and no room at the top. Baloney. Use that imagination of yours. Find a niche. Fill a need. Create a space for your work. That is how you will succeed. It is a big world out there, with plenty of room for everyone. You just need to mark out some territory for yourself.

Get to know yourself better. Enlist help. Look back at your past accomplishments. Spend some time reviewing your success. Research yourself.  Find people who believe in you. People around you can see things about yourself you can not. Dump those who only add to the heavy feeling in your head.  Cut them loose.  In the end of the day, you will need to be your own support group, and founder and president of your own fan club.