Career planning is hot. Career mistakes are cold. But almost everybody does something really, really dumb at least once in a working lifetime.

If you're unlucky, your mistake gets into the news. Recently I read a story about a flight attendant who was fired for posting photos of her uniformed self, striking candid poses on an empty airliner, in her blog.

Creative people tend to keep several projects going at once. But too many clients tell me, "I have a lot of half-finished works in progress. I'm pulled in three or four different directions.

"So I work hard," they continue. "And I end up with nothing to show for my efforts."

So how do you go from creative idea to tangible creation? Here are 10 tips to get started.

If you're a career-changing Baby Boomer, you may feel like you've gotten lost with Dorothy in Oz. You've achieved success in your career. You've built skills and a strong work ethic. And now you're ready to move on...and it's not working.

Many of my own clients tell me, "I haven't had to look for a job for 20 years."

Twenty years ago, you probably didn't have a cell phone or an email account.

We're all feeling pressured these days. We're making do with less. We're on call 24/7 Our email inboxes are overflowing

So - no surprise - we're getting bombarded with guides to manage our time more efficiently. Visit any bookstore and you will find dozens (maybe hundreds) of titles with "time" in the title. Surf the Internet for "coach" and you'll soon learn the truth: more people hire coaches for time management than for any other reason.

These days, you have to work hard to get a serious job interview. After running just one want ad, recruiters will see thousands of resumes. So getting picked for an interview is a reason to celebrate.

But after celebrating The Call, plan for success. You'll have limited time to impress an interviewer. Even if you decide you don't want the job, I recommend using the opportunity to practice.

You've got a wonderful job, a nice place to live and lots of friends. But you realize you miss your family, who live five hundred miles away.

Maybe you just retired and you want to be closer to your aging parents. Or you want to watch your grandchildren grow up. Or you want to get closer to siblings and old friends.

Should you move? Here are some questions to help gain insight as you wrestle with a tough decision.

When "career counselor" was a new word (and a "coach" blew the whistle at basketball practice), we all read the Parachute book. The standard career advice line went something like this:

"People are bored. They love to talk about what they do. So call them up and ask for information. Eventually someone will offer you a job."

In my experience, that advice is as outdated as the typewriters we used back when the first Parachute edition appeared in the bookstores.

Recently I told a friend "Jim" that I was hiring a cleaning service. And I considered hiring a concierge service -- someone who will shop for groceries, pick up my vacuum cleaner at the repair store, and take the dog to the vet for her shots.

"That seems so extravagant!" Jim exclaimed.

Jim works for a generous employer. He gets paid a good salary.

Should an MBA degree be included in your mid-life, mid-career game plan? The answer is, "Getting a degree can be the best *or* the worst career decision of your life."

Recently a national newspaper featured an article questioning the wisdom of escaping tough economic times by returning to school. Their article was targeted to twenty-something managers.

Career change often begins when your world seems to be spinning out of control. During hard times and layoffs, you have to think about your next move. For many mid-life, mid-career professionals, it's an opportunity to start fresh. When your current career no longer works, you have to find new opportunities -- whether you feel ready or not.

During these difficult times, you might realize you need to make tough decisions.