What's Worth Doing Even If You Fail?

How failing to get hired at Paramount set me up to work for Tony Hawk

I've been thinking about the sacred calling of the artist and the courage it takes to not only create art but to commit to art as your vocation. 

Inspired by Brene Brown's guest appearance on the "Magic Lessons Podcast" hosted by author Elizabeth Gilbert ("Eat, Pray, Love" and "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear,") I’ve been thinking about the courage to have a non-traditional career in creativity.

Brene Brown asks us,"What's worth doing even if you fail?"

I thought it was a worthy question to pose to all of you courageous doers and dreamers. Everyone reading this article is serious about a career in TV, Film, Music, and the world of the Arts. Accepting failure as part of the journey is imperative. Failure is inevitable. It's not "if," it's "when, where, how often, etc...."

In my experience, failure isn’t always bad. It can help us reimagine our dreams, test our beliefs, or nudge/force us in a new direction that may be even better than what we could have ever imagined.

Years ago, I wanted to work as a VP of Development at Paramount. I had everyone make calls for me to get this position, including the then-president of William Morris.

I got the meeting, but failed to get the job.

That “failure” was a redirection for a much better job as the VP of Development at 900 Films, Tony Hawk's production company! One of the perks of this job was I was given the flexibility to attempt to build my own business while working for him. Tony Hawk is an entrepreneur, so he respected my hustle and was open to me doing both jobs.

Not only did I have income, but Tony also became a "mentor in my mind." I observed how he ran staff meetings like a family dinner (Tony's mom, sisters, and brother were usually there.) Everyone wanted to work or hang out at Tony's office (I mean, he had a Sirius radio studio and executive offices were built around his famous halfpipe where friends like Shaun White would just pop over to skate). I had a front-row seat as to how someone with a very specialized talent leveraged it to build a mega-brand.

Had I not "failed" to get the job at Paramount, I couldn't have been redirected and become more aligned with my dreams. The truth is, having an employer like Tony was rare. I worked for him by developing TV and Film projects, and yet he helped me stoke the flames of my own dreams of helping college students get hired in their first jobs in the entertainment space. Sound familiar? Yup, it was my first attempt at my current business. It didn't work out then, but it did YEARS later when I launched My Grads Get Jobs!   

Failure isn't a destination, it's a compass. It's always directing you forward. And when you make an attempt towards living your dreams, you are a success!