After coaching hundreds of people on how to break free from the corporate world, I have created 7 fundamental practices to help you successfully start a new career. I share them with you here.

1. Center Yourself

When you are trying to start a new career, you may encounter inner resistance and self-doubt. Before self-talk sabotages your dreams, learn to disconnect from your negative thought patterns. I recommend centering throughout the day to help you be a kind and patient observer of your thoughts. Learning to center will help you to stay positive and relaxed. Meditation, walks at lunchtime, yoga, and focused breathing can help you to stay centered throughout the day.

2. Focus on the Positive

Television broadcasters, newspapers, and magazines make their money on advertising. They sell advertising by focusing on the negative and what is not working in the world. Turn off your TV. Stop reading newspapers and news magazines. Surround yourself with positive people. Read autobiographies of people you admire and who have overcome adversity. If you pay attention to negative thoughts and events, you will attract negativity into your life. Stay focused on the positive.

3. Live from purpose and commitment

Do you have a personal mission statement? What is your purpose in life? Does your work forward that purpose? Spend some moments on reflection and create inspiring and exciting purpose and mission statements for yourself.

4. Perform essential actions that are on-purpose

If you are living from purpose and commitment, then it is much easier to stay focused on essential actions that will further your purpose and to eliminate actions that dont help you to achieve your purpose.

5. Have the courage to live your truth

Many people waste time avoiding negative consequences instead of pursuing possibilities. Pursuing possibilities takes courage. Our definition of courage is staying true to your values no matter who disagrees. It also means being open to the world, not closed in a loop of habitual thinking and behavior.

6. Jealously Guard your Energy

Evaluate all of the relationships and activities in your life based upon whether they give you energy or take your energy. Eliminate activities that take your energy. Eliminate negative people. Try to shift relationships that take your energy or limit your exposure to these people. To start a new career takes lots of energy. Jealously guard your energy during this critical time and eliminate all energy vampires.

7. Be grateful

I believe that we have all chosen to be here in this physical world. Our non-physical being chose to manifest here and now. And every day that you walk on this earth is a miracle. Count your blessings. If you find yourself in despair or unable to get out of a funk, start keeping a gratitude journal. Every evening before you go to sleep, spend some time counting your blessings. What are you grateful for in your life? You can do this as a mental exercise or you can start keeping a gratitude journal. Every day, write down five things that you are grateful for. You might be surprised by how abundant your life really is.