We've all had those times when we can't see the good in anything; when our thoughts are on those things that won't turn out. Optimists begin to aggravate us because we know how disappointing reality can be.

We see the world as a place where hard work doesn't pay off, a place where the rewards go to those who know the right people. Suck-ups are promoted while hard workers go unnoticed and unappreciated. It's futile to apply for most jobs because they always have someone already in mind.

Such thoughts make it pretty hard to get through the day, let alone inspiring you to take a positive view of your future and make the most of your career. When you see the world through a pessimistic lens, it's usually because you've been hurt or discouraged and want to avoid feeling that way again. It is less risky for you to believe in the worst happening than to work at making the best happen. As negative as these thoughts appear to be, there is a lot of wisdom in them.

We often tune out people who appear negative and express similar thoughts to those above. But if we really listen and try to discern the truths behind those negative words, we will discover a lot of useful information. Behind each of the statements above is wisdom that can prepare you for selecting, changing, and sustaining your career and building a positive view of your future.

Put your energy in small steps. Sometimes hard work doesn't pay off, especially if you've blown out of proportion all that you have to do. Some of us anticipate that to get the career we want, we'll have to commit to months of expensive training. We predict that we'll have to sacrifice for several years before we begin to see the benefits of our hard work. In other words, we anticipate a life spent putting off our life. That's the kind of hard work you should try to avoid.

Instead, take this wisdom to heart and begin with small steps. Rather than anticipating years of training, take one weekend seminar. See how you do and how you like it. Go easy on your expectations about how hard your career will be. Those thoughts will just discourage you.

Build a network of supportive people. Knowing the right people means building a support system for yourself. It means telling people whom you think would be supportive about your career ideas. It means attending informational meetings where you learn and meet people who share your interest in a subject. And it means asking people to help you by sharing their information and resources. The right people are your advocates, not the devil's. They want you to succeed because they believe in you. Your gratitude to them will motivate you to help others when the time comes.

Learn to get noticed. Many of us don't know how to bring attention to our accomplishments, so we view those who do as suck-ups. But the truth is, people need to know about your work if you want to get hired or advance your career. Acknowledging your own accomplishments is a good first step if you expect others to notice your work as well. Pride in your work means sharing with others the process behind your achievements. For example, rather than telling people you like to design, describe for them the steps you took to design something. Be proud of what you did and how you did it. Getting noticed means involving people in your process rather than simply presenting them with a product.

Become the insider. This piece of wisdom is one of the best reasons to volunteer or donate your time in a career field. By doing so, you become an insider. People will get to know you, and you get to know much more about the work and the organization than someone applying from the outside.

Learn from your pessimist. Whenever you feel yourself slipping into your pessimistic and suspicious persona, ask yourself what insights are below the surface. Like the wise insights above, you are carrying around information inside you that can be very useful in preparing for your career selection or job change.

The next time you find yourself projecting how things won't turn out, ask yourself what you would need to do for it to turn out positively. Are there people you could contact, places you could visit, or information you could research?

If you are feeling like an outsider with no contacts or support, come up with one thing you could do to begin to build your contacts and become an insider.

Above all, consider your inner pessimist as that part of you that wants to cover all the bases. Pay attention; hear the concerns behind the negativity. Then learn to turn your pessimist into a prepared optimist.