Learning To Take Charge
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Recently I was reflecting on why high school was such a disaster and college worked so well — and what that tells me about succeeding at my new business. The answer is easy: self determination. Let me explain.
I recently went back to my high school and my former principal told my friend that I was “ a solid C+ student.” Grades just weren't the end-all-be-all in the Falco household—a B was good enough for the fridge. Don't get me wrong, if I came home with a D they were disappointed. An F? Super disappointed. But you best believe, I had many semesters with straight-C’s … And I wouldn't take any of it back. Sure, a scholarship would have been nice but everything worked out. In part, I think my parents just wanted me to invest energy into things I actually cared about. And I cared about a lot. I kicked off my high school career as the Freshman class president, was named the captain of the JV drill team Sophomore year and was the student director for all the plays and musicals my Junior and Senior year. In between, I was a national competitive dancer (12-40 hours a week depending on if it was competition season!), I spent a few years on the swim team, I was in girl scouts (yes, even in high school!), played CYO volleyball and basketball (shout out to my Slackers teammates!), was a member of the Forensics team, acted and danced in various musicals and plays, took charge of various activities during homecoming week, spent my spring breaks going on mission trips as opposed to Cancun, and I was a regular in detention and Saturday school (The Breakfast Club makes it look way cooler than it actually is). … no wonder my grades were crap. But I managed to ride those extra curricular activities to a spot at Creighton University.
In Omaha, things changed drastically. Sure, I was still very involved (think Theta Phi!) and managed to party at least 4 nights a week, but instead of spending my Saturdays scraping gum off of lockers at the crack of dawn, I was a member of the National Honor Society. Yes, I got good grades. Very good grades. I am by no means claiming to be “book smart” — I just channeled my energy into schoolwork. Besides the Bluejay bar, the library was my second home.
Why did college work? Because no one was forcing my hand. Class wasn't mandatory. In fact, I had a ton of friends that skipped class on the reg. I just didn’t. I can count on one hand how many classes I missed my entire college career (no joke).
I don’t want to say I have an issue with authority, because I spent the past 7 years as an employee. But fortunate for me, I had bosses that allowed me to be innovative and trusted me to get the work done without finding the need to hold my hand. Funny story, last year at my former station it was mandatory that we write a weekly blog. It could be about anything we wanted. How easy was that? It wasn’t. I dreaded it. Every. Single. Week. And here I am, writing a blog because I can and want to.
No one forced me to start my own company. No one forces me to wake up and go to my office everyday. No one forces me to work late hours. But I do, because I can and because I want to and because I love what I do. Entrepreneurship was made for an independent worker like me — especially one that combines my vision and a client’s. I get to call my own shots. I get to do something I love and just like in college, I am excelling. I recently decided to enroll in a motion graphics class. I thought it would be a good way to learn a new skill that I can incorporate into the business and a perk for clients that sign on with me. I wasn't necessarily looking forward to it but, three weeks in, it’s AMAZING. I come home from class jacked up and inspired about what I learned. In fact, after getting home from class at 10:30 last night, I decided to write this blog. There is a theme here: no one is forcing me to take this class. I am taking it and enjoying it because I want to be better for myself and for my clients.
So this is my ‘call to action’ blog. I encourage all of you to look into taking a class or a workshop or something. Whether it’s to learn a new skill like Photoshop or attend a conference about gaining confidence, do it. If you are tight on money, the great news is that there are a ton of free courses and webinars out there. Even if you hated school, it might surprise you how much you enjoy it when no one is forcing your hand. It is time to invest in yourself and push yourself because no one should do it for you. Just as I am bringing my passion to Falco Creative Media, you can bring your passion to anything you take on.
My former coworker and I used to do weekly VLOGS. Last May for a VLOG, we took a walk down memory lane and went back to my old stomping grounds, St. Thomas Aquinas High School. It was quite entertaining. (FYI, this thumbnail picture was taken DURING detention. Totes normal.)