It’s been a while since I blogged, which in one way is a really great news. I’ve been very busy with my executive recruiting assignments for start-ups, and that is a good sign for the economy, I think. When new companies are hiring, and people are investing their time and money into new ventures, growth is happening. Start-ups blossoming are like the daffodils showing the early signs of an economic spring. Sorry, that’s a little schmalzy, but it’s true.

And if the economy is turning around, what that means for you as a jobseeker is that there may be more jobs for you to pursue.

But for some of you, a little change in momentum – and a move from habitual ennui into refreshed optimism – is going to have to happen first. The slow pace of a long winter of living in the mentality of “there are no jobs around because the economy sucks” will need to give way to the bloom of springtime and a sense of new possibilities, and it’s probably going to require a conscious shift on your part.

A lot of the coaching I do is to help people make that mental and emotional shift, to help shake themselves out of their pace of slackerdom and a now-habitual sense of helplessness about their job search. They’ve gotten discouraged, and they gave up, at least for a while, since there aren’t any jobs out there anyway, right? They come to me for answers, motivation and direction.

I tell them that there are jobs, and there always were. Maybe not as many jobs, and maybe not the same jobs you might have looked for in the past, but there are jobs. Sure, there are statistics about where jobs are being lost, and news stories about layoffs. There are also statistics about careers that are growing, and trends that are building.

As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter what the statistics are. Statistics don’t define you, and they don’t have to apply to you. Certainly don’t ever let statistics talk you out of what you want out of life. Who cares what the numbers say? You only need one job.

One job. Your job. If you are looking for the right kind of job, and you have prepared yourself to show yourself at your best, and you know why you’re the person they should hire for it and can sell it, then you’re going to get that job. Who cares about statistics?

So start thinking about whether you have some spring cleaning to do in your own mental view of your job search, and what mental and emotional shifts you can make to begin a fresh start.

Here are a few ways to put create some new feelings about your search:

1. Update your resume, or better still, start from scratch and make something entirely new to tell your story. (Tip: check out the resume postings on Craigslist to get some inspiration of things that do and don’t work. Or think of hiring someone like me to help you with it.)

2. Make a list of the ten greatest things you’ve done in your work life, the things that you’re proud of. (Tip: try to have at least two for each of your last three jobs so you can talk about them in interviews.)

3. Make a list of the ten things you wish your next job will be. (Tip: Think big but be realistic too.)

4. Draw a picture of yourself at work in the job of your dreams, actually doing it, and put in as much detail as you can. Translating your vision onto paper as a picture is incredibly inspiring. (Tip: If you can’t draw, cut pictures out of magazines and make a collage. Or combine both, which is what I like to do.)

5. Get out and talk to people in a business context. Find a monthly group that does business networking and go and talk to people. (Tip: See my blog about resume business cards, and take those to pass to the people you meet.)

It doesn’t take much to shift your mental attitude, and with a little bit of action and intention, you can quickly get yourself back into the job search that’s going to blossom into the best job ever.