5 Career Lesson Disguised as Failures

Here we are at the dawn of 2009 and surely many of you are looking ahead, formulating resolutions, financial goals, staffing or just thinking about your ideal destinations for the upcoming year. "Where will the road take me in '09). Being a bit backward at everything, I pose a different challenge. Think for a moment with me about the road behind you. Here are 5 of my personal career "failures" that remarkably turned out to be valuable life changing lessons.

5. (backwards, I told you) I worked in a plastics company as a Sales & Marketing Manager. I failed to look at the environment in which I thrive personally & professionally. Not ashamed to say that I like "pretty" places. This job had me in a stinky antiquated environment, meeting with dry Rocket Scientists who didn't get me or me them, and It drained all my energy. That and the job of department head was too big for me. I had no Marketing experience and had to wing it. Departmental budgeting was hell. (We did have a company plane though which was sooo cool.)Lesson: Go & grow where you'll thrive. Take a good look before taking a job that will move you up on the ladder, fill your poketbook but leave you everyday being someone you're not.

4. Then I worked for a elitist dictator. As creative director for an advertising firm. My boss had absolutely no people skills, hired me to be the people person for the team building loyalty and business for the firm. In the end, as much as I tried to rally the team to succeed, she showed them repeatedly that she cared nothing for her staff. Do yourself a favor, scrutinize who you are going to work for. Working for bosses that suck, sucks. Lesson: Work for people/companies that genuinely care and YES they are out there. I work for one of them!

3. I got fired, let go, served severance! I was a victim of the Pink Slip Epidemic (see Amanda Hite's blog :) ) So I took a few years off, licking my wounds and I didn't work. I played a lot of golf and fell into a giant bunker of unhappiness. Lesson: Idle time is the devil's playground but it can really shave numbers off your golf handicap.

4. I taught creative writing to college students. Fabulous. But not with a fancy salary. I found myself sacrificing emotional reward for financial reward. I was young (22 years old) and overly ambitious. I was lured away from noble teaching and took a the job that led me down the sales road for the next ten years. Turns out as one of my big regrets. I still substitute teach occasionally and accept that I may never get ROI on my Master's investment. Lesson: Define your personal "payment" terms. Seek to fill your emotional bank and your piggy bank at the same time.

5. I was a beer rep for a distributor and sold what I called "candy to babies". It was perfect for me, a recently divorced, single mom who needed an easy win in a fun career arena. My daughter reminds me about getting dropped off to school in mommy's Miller Lite truck. This was a turning point in my life. While it seemed like a strange fraternaty type role for me, I met my darling husband Paul and married him a few months after. Lesson: Your career journey will take you down unusual roads. Enjoy the ride. And, marry your soulmate when you meet him. :)

For those of you who don't know me, I am a Talent Agent with Talent Revolution and owner of my photography company, fleur de leigh. As one of my Twitter friends said it, "You're so lucky" to be doing what you love. I say the road to this lucky place (performing my dream jobs and living my UCL) was bumpy and bendy and often wild...but full of self discovery.

That enlightenment got me here.