Never.Stop.Learning.

School was easy for me.  Never really studied but managed to keep A's and B's for the most part.  I did make a C in high-school level algebra when I was in 7th grade...I cried that day...I was a wuss, I know.  You see, in 6th grade they tested my IQ to see if I could be a part of their "Gifted and Talented" program.  You needed a 130 to qualify.  I scored 126. So close.

They did let me in though, kinda on probationary terms.  Mrs. Johnson said that sometimes smart people have a tendency to complicate things, and since I was so close, they would let me try it out.  Basically to be in the G&T meant the work was more advanced, or as I liked to think of it...HARDER.  I missed being gifted by 4 points, so now I had to prove myself.  I have been complicating things ever since ;)

This was my middle-school experience.  It was fun for the most part, but there was a constant push to keep reaching for more, to be the best you could be.  At the time it meant more homework.  Looking back, it made me who I am today.  I went on to home school through a local private school 9-12th.  This forced me to become more self-reliant in my disciplines and is most likely why I am self-employed...and love it!

College was the hardest, mainly because I felt it was a ripoff.  The classes were all so easy.  If you just showed up and did the work, you really couldn't fail.  The problem I had in college was staying focused on WHY I needed these moronic classes and had to pay as much for NEver books as I would for 6 months rent.  I felt the only people that wanted me to continue on in my academic career were people who graduated with a degree, and all they ever did was complain about how hard it was.  It was like they wanted someone to suffer as much as they did and smirk from the sidelines with a devilish grin.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am NOT anti-college.  I do believe there are other paths of learning however.  College didn't offer the experience and knowledge I wanted, and I really didn't know what I wanted, but it wasn't there.  After 4 years, I walked away with about 50 transferable hours...I know, right?  Regrets?  Nope, glad I went.  It's where I met my wife and learned some great lessons.  Will I go back?  Not likely.

The skills I have know I have been honing my whole life.  I have been speaking to crowds, acting, singing, and making a fool of myself since I was a kid, in school and church.   I have had a job since I was 15.  I was on staff at churches from ages 18-23, and have been self-employed for the last 10 years.  I have traveled all over world entertaining and engaging crowds with skills I have, and don't plan to stop any time soon.

I haven't stopped learning either.  Right now I'm still learning how to effectively use Social Media, videography, photography, make the perfect meatloaf, plant trees that survive in SW Oklahoma...the list goes on.  I have been learning from the day I was born, and will continue to the day I die.  How I learn, what I learn, where I learn, when I learn, and who I learn from will constantly be ever-changing.

My dad would tell me, "Son, always be teachable.  As long as you're teachable, you can continue to be a better man."  Good advice from a great man.