20 Power Words to Help You Live Your Best Life & Achieve Professional Success

You’ve heard of using power verbs on your resume. But what about using power words in your daily life to achieve professional success?

Words hold far greater power than most people imagine. Words express meaning and describe experiences. Words come with emotion. Your feelings and emotions shape your experience.

Knowing that, it’s no surprise that the words we choose to think and speak can directly impact our perspectives on life and determine the likelihood of achieving career goals and professional success. Words fuel our thoughts, actions, and our mindset.

Power words are words that lift you up. When you use power words throughout the day you will feel more motivated, and your self-esteem will improve. You will feel more powerful and deserving of the professional success you desire.

Below are 20 words that you should keep in your everyday vocabulary and focus on to shift your mindset to a productive and successful one.

When you look at career goals and other tasks or responsibilities as something that you need to accomplish, you will feel motivated to do so because you know the outcome is rewarding.

The word accomplish is a positive and powerful word as it provides the mind with a positive outlook and a promise of rewards. Knowing that you have a task to accomplish takes the option of getting it done or not out of the picture. When the goal or task is difficult to complete, knowing that you will feel accomplished when it is over keeps you motivated to keep going toward professional success.

Taking action puts a plan behind your career goal or responsibility. When you focus on the actions you will take to reach whatever your definition is of professional success you stay motivated because the goal becomes tangible and in your control. Feeling like you have the power to determine your path motivates you and makes you feel productive.

We have all heard of the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” By transitioning from talking about what you might do or the goals you want to eventually complete, to talking about the action plan that will get you there, you will feel more committed to the steps necessary.

It is very easy to think about your career dreams and professional aspirations but never take action toward them.

Developing a plan with the milestones you will accomplish along the way to achieving your dreams, then committing yourself to follow your plan is how you will turn your dreams into reality. With a sense of commitment to the journey your goal will take you on, and the sacrifices you may need to make in order to reach professional success will keep you motivated each and every day.

Trusting in yourself is crucial when committing yourself to a goal. When challenges and obstacles arise, it is easy to let negative self-talk creep in and harm your self-confidence.

This leads you to eventually give up on your career goals and dreams. Knowing that you have the potential to be the best version of yourself, and having confidence in your ability to be productive, keeps you motivated even when problems and obstacles arise.

Drive is the urge you have to achieve or accomplish a career or professional success goal that is important to you. Drive is necessary to keep you on track and motivated.

When facing adversity, drive reminds you of why your career goal is so important and brings back the motivation that caused you to start in the first place.

Staying focused on your career goals and dreams allows you to let go of the temptation to give in to distractions. You keep looking towards the light at the end of the tunnel or the reward that you will receive when you accomplish your goal, and this keeps you motivated and productive.

Focus is a powerful word when motivating yourself to complete something in the most efficient and productive way as possible. Whether it is a job responsibility, your job search to-do list for the day, or a long-term career goal, staying focused on the task in front of you allows you to let go of whatever may be trying to distract you from what is most important.

When you feel that there is no point in completing your job search to-do list, completing your daily job responsibilities, or pursuing your career dreams, you will have little or no motivation to do so. This is why motivation is driven by your purpose.

When you can find a purpose in the career goals or other professional success you desire, you can rely on this purpose keep you motivated. This internal motivation makes it more likely that you will stick to your goals.

Feeling satisfied and productive at the end of each day is key when trying to stay motivated. Without any sense of fulfillment, you will have no purpose for doing what you are doing and will find it very hard to accomplish your career goals. Feeling fulfilled is what fuels you for reaching success and putting in effort each day. It is important to look to the little things that you appreciate and the small successes along the journey to stay motivated each and every day.

Being determined to reach your career goals and the rewards that will come when you achieve them keeps you motivated during even the most challenging parts of your journey. There will be obstacles that arise along the way, but when you are determined to get there, you will be resilient and will keep going in order to accomplish whatever you set your mind to.

Being daring and willing to take risks that may force you out of your comfort zone is extremely motivating and rewarding. When you are willing to accept change and take risks, you will be motivated to maintain momentum until you get to where you want to be.

We all know the saying “fake it until you make it.” This can be applied to many different aspects of your life and can keep you going even during the toughest times.

By telling yourself that you can do something even when it is unfamiliar and seems scary, you are giving your mind the trust it needs to perform.

When you believe in yourself and tell yourself that you can do it, you are filling yourself with power. This personal power is necessary for confidence and stepping out of your comfort zone, so tell yourself you can even when you may not fully believe it at first.

Realizing your capabilities is the first step to feeling powerful and taking risks that would normally scare you. We all have the inner voice in the back of our minds telling us that we are incapable or that someone else could do it better, but it is important to train the mind to tune out this negative self-talk.

Once you believe that you are capable, you will accept more risks, and that in turn will boost your self-esteem. Acknowledging that you are capable promotes your personal power by giving your mind the confidence it needs to do the things that frighten you most.

Finding the strength from within allows you to have the personal power you need to grow, take risks, and reach your highest vision of professional success. Inner strength means not depending on others for your happiness or satisfaction and taking control of your own life and career.

When your strength comes from within, you will be comfortable navigating obstacles and challenges and you will be confident in your own capabilities. When you develop a strong sense of inner strength, you will empower yourself to achieve professional success.

Taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone when the outcomes are unpredictable will always come with some sort of fear. Understanding that this fear is normal and learning how to be brave gives you the power you need to reach your goals.

Empowering yourself by understanding that you are stronger than your fear is important when things are new and uncertain. When fear is the only thing that is holding you back and you are finally able to let go of it and acknowledge that you are above it, you will feel confident doing things you never thought you would be able to do in the past.

It is important to maintain a positive mindset when pursuing career goals and professional success. When you are negative, it will be a lot easier to give up and forget about your dreams. When you find the positives in each situation and appreciate the little things, you will relax and enjoy the journey and path you are on.

Optimism allows you to be more resilient because you are looking at the learning experiences that can come out of adversity and failure. This means accepting that you may fail but looking at it is a positive experience because it gave you the opportunity to learn, grow, develop, and become stronger.

Gratitude and appreciating the little things along your journey acts as fuel for the brain. When you are working towards a goal, the process may feel long, time-consuming, or mentally and emotionally draining. If you are able to feel thankful for your journey and your ability to pursue and achieve these goals, you will maintain a feeling of personal power.

Resilience and power go hand-in-hand. By staying resilient and not letting anything bring you down, you become more and more powerful each day. You will find that resilience builds over time as you work through each obstacle and challenge that arises along your journey.

When you know how to handle these situations and find a way to learn through failure, your resilience will empower you to take more risks and get things done efficiently and without fear. Resilience allows you to let go of fear and be the best version of yourself and fills you with empowering inner-strength.

Being solution-oriented and knowing how to solve the most difficult problems gives you the power to face any situation confidently and with trust in yourself. When you are able to solve problems and make decisions that may impact your career with confidence, people will learn to trust in you and will value your sense of character.

This trust promotes your personal power because you will feel comfortable making these decisions. Having the ability to solve problems is crucial in any career and in your personal life as it gives you the power you need to approach tough situations.

Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses builds the confidence that allows you to deal with adversity while trusting in yourself. Knowing who you truly are allows you to be resilient because you know your true potential and capabilities.

Being self-aware also allows you to find peace and satisfaction within rather than looking to others for your happiness. This gives you a deeper love for yourself that keeps you fighting for what you believe in and staying true to your values.

Without career goals, you will eventually feel stagnant and stuck in your comfort zone. When you are stuck doing what is familiar and rejecting any sort of career change, you will eventually begin to feel powerless. Career goals keep you on track, productive, and motivated.

Goals give you the power to get to where you want to be and allow you to feel determined and dedicated. Without a goal, you will not have the power to fight through the toughest challenges. It is very healthy to keep ongoing lists of short-term and long-term goals. These empower you to reach your version of professional success.