Most of the time this blog is about great products, but you can tell that I hardly post anymore, mainly because I am completely preoccupied with work – the real paying gig that I have AND keeping our new home in tip top shape. God only knows if I pop a kid into the mix what would happen…hello crazy. I rarely write about work, but I had authored 21 Little Things I Have Learned Along the Way  a while back and wanted to share with all the career newbies out there and use as a gentle reminder for those of us who have been working for a while. So here it is…enjoy!

1. The Small Projects—Over your career you will have plenty of big projects, the ones that are high profile, the ones that cost a lot of money, the ones that get you applause, and  the ones that make you feel extra special when they are done. But, trust me on this, the small projects are the ones that will bite you, the ones that can be the most problematic and the ones that require the most attention. So it is important to pay attention to every little detail on both the big and the small projects – treat them equally.
2. Mistakes—Let’s be honest, you are going to make mistakes, we all do, we make them all the time. The key to mistakes is to own them, raise your hand to say “it was my fault”, take the blame, apologize if you need to, learn from them and then move on. Dwelling on mistakes hurts you and the team you are working with.
3. Gossip—Bottom line, don’t engage. Being the last to know anything going on at your place of business sometimes is not the worst thing. Gossip can get you into trouble and hurt your image.
4. Journal—Keeping a daily journal will help you blow off steam. It also helps you to go back and remind yourself how far you have come as a professional, and to remind you of the tough decisions you have had to make. Sometimes consistency is nice.
5.  Your Gut—Typically your gut is always right. Make decisions from your gut, but know that your heart will try and wrestle with your gut, so learn to stay strong. You do not need to make decisions quickly, just rationally. It is okay to sleep on your gut…for several nights if you have to.
6. Mentoring—Consider finding a mentor; not a family member or friend or boss for that matter, but someone in your same field of business, someone older, wiser that has been down your path. Someone with a level head that you respect. Let them know you want them to be your mentor. They can help guide you when things get tough…trust me, things will get tough and you will want to talk to someone who has been in a similar situation.
7. Celebrate Success—Celebrate the success of others;  projects, promotions, the whole nine yards. Everyone has their day in the career spotlight. You will have your day and you will want a big group behind you cheering.
8. Friends—Believe it or not, no matter what you do for a career, you will end up spending more time with your colleagues than family. It’s just how it goes, work days have gotten longer and harder. They always say to keep work and personal life separate, but the reality is much different. The friendships you will make along the way can be priceless. You often find some of the people you will trust the most in life as you travel along your career path.
9. Luck—Luck is not something that just happens, the lottery is probably the only exception. Prepared is a better word. People who work hard and are prepared sometimes are miss-characterized as being lucky.
10. Pick Your Battles—Trust me on this, a battle will take a lot out of you. The worst part, sometimes you lose. A battle could be what you are remembered for, so select a battle with caution and care. It’s not worth it to battle over everything.
11. Saving Lives—Unless you become a doctor, nurse or firefighter, just remember one thing, you are not saving the life of a baby. Work is work, if you are not waiting on a heart to arrive for a transplant it is not worth getting worked up about; stay calm and move swiftly.
12. People—It’s always good to find the good in everyone but the fact remains that some people are just strange – bottom line, strange; sometimes I am strange. Additionally, at some point you will work on a team with a bad egg. Trust me on this, they work themselves out. It might take longer than you want but eventually the bad eggs always start to stink and crack themselves.
13. Leadership—In order to be a great leader you can never really follow, know your place and lead when and where you can, people will recognize and embrace your skills – leadership is born not made.
14. Support your Boss—You are going to have bosses you love and bosses you don’t love. It’s a fact really. The big take away from this is that they are your boss. Your job is to support them all the time, even when they make business decisions and policies you don’t agree with. When you are the boss you will want the same respect.
15. Entitlement—No one owes you anything. You actions and hard work will define your destiny.
16. Good Days and Bad Days—If you go in knowing that for every bad day you have you will have an equal amount or more of the good days then things will be a lot easier. Promise.
17. The Cards—No one really cares about the cards you have been dealt. They are looking to see how you are going to play the cards. Reaction is everything. Always keep your game face on.
18. Love Your Career—Pick a career/job that you love, if you do that you will excel.
19. Politics—It does not matter where you work or what you do, there will be office politics. They suck. Everyone hates them, but in order to be successful you have to suck it up and play the game. Simple as that.
20. Paying Your Dues—Many think that “paying your dues” is something you do the first few years of your career. Not the case, every minute of every day in your career you are paying your dues. Respect is earned and once you have it’s a lot harder to keep.
21. Stationery—Every gal deserves a suite of beautiful stationery. People like to hear from you the old fashioned way, stop and take a minute to send a letter; it is a simple way to make someone feel good.

Spoken by a worn out Marketing Director who secretly wants to design wedding dresses!

-PS