Reading time: 2 minutes

It’s easy to look at the job market and feel powerless. Opportunities feel limited, networks seem closed, and the system looks unfair. But most of the time, the real barrier isn’t out there.

It’s in here.

A perfect CV, strategic applications, and the right connections all help. But if doubt runs underneath. If there’s a quiet voice saying “I’m not enough”, nothing will quite land. The invisible block isn’t the market but the story you’re telling yourself: “I can’t compete.” “It’s not my fault I’m stuck.”

That’s a victim mindset.

The Comfort Trap

The victim mindset sounds like this:

“The market is unfair.”
“I can’t move forward because of my circumstances.”
“It’s not my fault.”

These thoughts feel safe because they take the pressure off. If it’s not your fault, you don’t have to take responsibility. But that comfort comes with a cost. Each time you hand away responsibility, you give away your power and energy that could be used to act get spent on worry, doubt, and imagined barriers.

Over time, this mindset starts to shape how you see the world. Every small setback feels like proof that things never work out. Even real opportunities get filtered through “this won’t work anyway.” Before you know it, even achievable goals feel impossible.

Underneath that victim mindset is just fear: Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of showing up as yourself. There’s also a need for certainty in an uncertain world. If the reason you’re stuck is external, at least it feels predictable!

The shift starts with a simple but powerful question: What can I control right now?

• How would I act if I trusted that I am capable?

• Which actions can move things forward today?

• Where is fear or doubt holding me back?

Don’t get me wrong. Answering these questions isn’t about denying challenges. But every small choice to act, even when fear is present, sends a signal to the brain: I am capable. And this internal “yes” grows stronger with repetition.