I just landed a new job, and I've been trying to figure out how I did it so that I can pass on the trick to you. I think it comes down to what Alan Deutshman calls: new hope, new skills, and new thinking.

In Alan's book titled, Change or Die , he talks about the essential elements of accepting or bringing about change, and it has nothing to do with presenting the facts. It's about having hope, attaining new skills, and seeing situations in a new way. The book was a real eye opener and a partial confirmation that I seem to be on track. How so you ask?

New Hope: Life is not static. To make the most of it, I try to be on the lookout for opportunities in every moment of evey day. I knew that someday the job I wanted would become available, and I needed to be open to the possibility.

New Skills: My mission over the last few years has been to learn how to do desktop publishing, become a better writer, and do a better job of presenting my concepts. In other words, I had to learn new skills to keep current and marketable. Without the new skills I've developed over the last three years, I wouldn't have been offered this job.

New Thoughts: I've been doing trade show marketing for over 25 years, but the job market and the skills required have changed. Once I embraced that fact and started to be open to new ways of doing business, I made myself a much stronger job candidate. I wasn't afraid to take a risk of rejection and act on new concepts that apply to today's way of doing business.

And, I trusted my instincts, knowing they would lead me to success. What's holding you back? Hopelessness, stale skills, and old thoughts? Push them aside and trust me, trust yourself, you can bring about wonderful change in your life, just start with a little hope.