Underestimating

When you knock yourself out doing a job that takes way more time and effort than you ever dreamed it would, try to think about what you learned from this mistake. Of course, the key is to apply those lessons the next time you think you know how long a project will take. Chances are this is not the first time you underestimated; and, unless you figure out why you fall into the same trap over and over again, it won't be the last.

Ask yourself a few questions: Are you estimating from experience or off the top of your head? Have you ever done a project like this, or are you in uncharted territory? Do you have a tendency to make everything more complicated than it needs to be? Have you accurately assessed your client? Are you a perfectionist?

It pays—literally—to know the answers.

Finding New Meanings

Every experience has a lesson in it. The lesson might be startling, painful, ego deflating, or life altering. It could be a tiny aha moment or a giant revelation, but it always seems to be worth learning.

When one of my friends read my new book, Words To Live By, she got an entirely different meaning from the title than the one I had intended. I thought of the book as a memoir on how I earned my living; she thought of it as lessons learned during each phase of my career. When I viewed it in that light, I could see all the events and experiences that had shaped me as a person.