“Castle”- Owning Up To Your FAIL

Richard Castle's (Nathan Fillion) "in a pinch" for his mistake on "Castle"

Not that big a fan of shows about murder mysteries, but “Castle” is admittedly good stuff. In the season premiere, the only way to keep his ‘ride along’ arrangement with Det. Beckett is to admit he screwed up when he dug in to her mother’s murder case. In an age where denying responsibility is the norm, should you ever own up to your own mistakes at work or in your career in general?

The quick rundown for the uninitiated- “Castle” is about mystery novelist Richard Castle (played by Nathan Fillion) who investigates murders with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (played by Stana Katic) for the sake of research for his current and future novels( I’ll save the workplace romance innuendos for another post). In”Deep in Death”, Castle has jeopardized his arrangement with Beckett by investigating into her mother’s murder. He thought he was trying to put the case to rest for her. She thinks he dug up something she’s tried for so long to put behind her. They both agree that once they solve the case of white-collar pro turn dead drug mule is solved, Castle is done tagging along on her cases. After they’ve solved the case, Castle’s daughter Alexis (played by Molly C. Quinn) discusses a boyfriend FAIL moment with her father. She ends by asking why can’t guys just say they’re sorry. Castle thanks and hugs his daughter, goes straight to the police station and apologizes in earnest to Beckett, who decides to change her mind about ending the arrangement.

FAIL- Own It or Deny It?

While its debatable whether or not Castle got off too easy, it’s important to determine(for each of us) how we handle accountability for our mistakes not just at work, but in general. Eve Tahmincioglu looks at the risks/benefits of whether or not to admit a mistake in “Should You Admit a Mistake?“.

I’m an Owner

A couple of weeks ago, I had plans with the family to fry a turkey breast, which involves a rather large, and dangerous outdoor fryer. The day we were supposed to cook it, the ‘head chef’ (my sister) had some scheduling issues the rest of us weren’t aware of and were left to assume we’re to cook the turkey breast on our own. After a butt-load of mis-communication and erroneous assumptions later, I ended up burning a whole at the bottom of the fryer. Totally owned it, which enabled me along with the rest of us to improvise a method of frying a turkey breast indoors, WITHOUT the house fire. The only way I can feel better about screwing up and rectifying the situation is for me to own it. I know it depends on the individual, what they did, and what the situation is before deciding to own up to something, but it’s just easier for me to own it. I think it’s wasteful to point fingers, especially before a problem is solved, and I really like being part of the solution, even if I caused the problem to begin with.

Should you own or deny your mistakes? Weigh in here.

“Heroes”- Chasing Their Dream Careers

Ando and Hiro chase their superhero dream careers on "Heroes"

Just getting my feet wet with the new fall TV season. While the jury’s still out on new shows, I’ve been a fan of “Heroes” almost from the beginning. In the 2-hour season premiere, Hiro, Ando and Peter Petrelli are chasing their dreams of becoming true-blue superheroes. When it comes to our careers, how can we be successful without dreams and the will to pursue them?

In the Season 4 premiere, Hiro (played by Masi Oka) and Ando (played by James Kyson Lee) are intent on making superheroism a profession by starting their own heroes for hire business called “Dial a Her0″. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Peter (played by Milo Ventimiglia) is taking the superhero/alter ego route by playing a mild mannered NYC EMS Tech, while secretly using his super powers to save people’s lives. All are trying to live their lives on their own terms after an unending string of events that have forced them to use, lose and regain their powers to save humanity in one way, or another.

Don’t Just Dream It, Do It

For me, life can sometimes feel like it’s forcing me to live on its terms, pulled one way or another by obligation and circumstance. The only way to live your life or develop your career the way you want is to HAVE dreams and to PURSUE them.  Curt Rosengren suggests filling in the blanks of your dream to make it reality in “How to Move Forward With Action or Dream“.

Make Sure It Comes From the Right Place

However your dream is borne, make sure it comes from the right place- heart and soul. You’ll need both to make your dream come true. If it comes from anywhere else, you won’t have the courage or the passion to take one step.

What motivates you to chase your dreams? Share it here.

“Eureka” – Career Choices to Make

Jack Carter facing change and choices on "Eureka"

I thought I would save my next post for when the fall TV season is in full swing, but I felt it was important to throw this one out there. In the season finale of “Eureka”, Sheriff Carter is faced with a life choice. Made me wonder what is the best way to handle life choices such as career change without creating another ‘fail’ moment.

In “What Goes Around, Comes Around”, Carter faces a couple of big changes in his life. His daughter Zoe is going away to attend Harvard. His girlfriend Tess (played by Jaime Ray Newman) is leaving for a job in Australia. Carter finds himself wondering whether to follow Tess to Australia (which may or may not end his tenure in Eureka) or not. Obviously he’s sticking around or else they’d have to call the show whatever Australian town he’d move to, but the point is we all face big decisions, in our lives and our careers. Is there a way to make those decisions less scary? Selena Dehne has some suggestions in “Confused About Changing Careers?“. Aside from doing research into your decision, Dehne also writes that you should consider alternatives to retraining and exploring your career path options in your career change.

Finding Yourself Is Never Easy

For those NOT blessed enough to find your calling when you were a kid, it can be scary making a career change. I’ve made several myself. The biggest question you have to ask yourself is are you making this change for you and your own happiness, or out of obligation to something or someone else. If it’s the latter, chances are it won’t last. Given changes made with the best of intentions still may not pan out, but hopefully you would’ve learned something valuable and applied that knowledge to new experiences. So, if you do find yourself facing a change, my advice is to be sure it’s in the pursuit of your own happiness.

How do you handle career and life changes? Share it here.

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