Steve Jobs: fired from Apple, the company he started, when he was 30 years old Walt Disney: fired from a newspaper because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Oprah: demoted from her job as news anchor because she “wasn’t fit for television.”

My personal favorite fails:

Being very unceremoniously dumped by the man I told everyone I was “going to marry.” Not even being considered for an interview for an editorial position at an eco-friendly magazine I was a regular contributor to, and which I had all the skills and qualifications for. Being a spectacularly uncoordinated high school P.E. student–pretty much always picked last for every team.

Why I learned to love them:

Getting dumped was the smack I needed to figure out I was outsourcing my happiness. I decided to focus on trying to be happy on my own–and eventually met the real man of my dreams. The magazine that skipped me over went bankrupt a couple short months later; and I got a gig that had all the elements I was hoping for: working flex hours from home using my best skills to do communications for a company all about health, wellness and yoga. Team sports didn’t seem to be my thing, so I found a way to exercise solo: yoga. I fell in love with it, and now teach it to other non-team-sports lovers, helping them to love their bodies and their lives. What are some of yours?

Invitation:

You know that story that comes to mind when you’re feeling really down? The one that starts with something like “If only…” How can you trace it to something GREAT? This week, I invite you to re-tell that same old story, but connect the dots a different way. E.g. Not getting this, meant I did this/got this, and now have THIS! p.s. hearing your stories is the BEST part! Please leave a comment below…