<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" \n Cosmo: If you had to pick one, what has been your biggest asset in your career? Mika: My scrappiness. The ability to pick myself up after I&amp;#039;ve fallen down.  Cosmo: Speaking of falling down, getting fired still tops our list of major nightmares. How did you turn getting axed from your job at CBS into a big break? Mika: I did something a lot of people will have to do in this economy if they want to eventually land their dream job. I turned down an offer to take a high-paying position in another field because it wouldn&amp;#039;t fulfill me. Instead, I told MSNBC I was desperate and took a freelance job (and pay cut) that would at least keep me close to a job that I really wanted.  Cosmo: How do you know when you&amp;#039;re stuck with what you call &amp;quot;a bad boyfriend&amp;quot; type of job?  Mika: A bad boyfriend is someone you give everything to \u2014 you live with him, cook for him, sleep with him \u2014 thinking he is going to marry you and then he doesn&amp;#039;t. When you are giving your all to a job and not getting credit, your job is a bad boyfriend.  Cosmo: In real life toxic boyfriends rarely change. Is it possible to change a toxic job?  Mika: Well, there was a time when my job at MSNBC was becoming a bad boyfriend because I had given them my all and had helped make Morning Joe successful, but I was still a freelancer. After working there for nine months I went to my boss and said, &amp;quot;This job is becoming a bad boyfriend. You need to marry me or the relationship is over.&amp;quot; Cosmo: You actually said that?  Mika: Yes, and my boss looked at me like I was crazy, but it worked.   Cosmo: Everyone knows you have to be willing to take a risk if you really want to be successful, but in this economy it can be hard to make a gutsy move. Short of asking for a promotion or quitting your job to start your own business, are there any ways young women can get ahead in such an uncertain time?  Mika: I hesitate to give a blanket rule, because it&amp;#039;s a combination of things \u2014 you have to be artful, aggressive, and at times relentless. You have to be ready to work, but also need to know yourself, your value, and what you bring to the table.  Cosmo: We were shocked to read in your book that a top network executive said he didn&amp;#039;t think you were attractive enough to be a nightly news anchor. How did you deal with that?  Mika: That was just something that I heard, and I&amp;#039;m not sure how much it factored into his decision. Looks are a big part of my industry and I&amp;#039;ve been told at different times in my career that I needed to lose weight or go for a different look. By the way, because this is television sometimes they were right. But it&amp;#039;s how you transcend the stereotypical ideas about beauty that determines your fate.  Cosmo: One of your biggest moments on Morning Joe (and Youtube.com) was tearing up a script that lead with a news story of Paris Hilton getting out of jail. We love a woman who sticks to her guns. What inspired you to take a stand against that story?  Mika: Earlier in my career I would have never done that. I would have worried about being fired, but I was thinking, &amp;#039;Fired? Been there.&amp;#039; Sometimes when you trust yourself to take over the moment you end up being smarter than you even knew you were.  Buy All Things at Once. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/advice/a3081/mika-brzezinski-memoir-interview/?src=global_footer>