STEVE GORDON Jr
I am what’s known in recent years as a “creative.” It’s a bit of a nebulous term encompassing designers and artists because the world—professional or otherwise—doesn’t really know where to put us. Are we viable business and marketing professionals, or people who are only good for grown-up versions of coloring book activities? But that’s no far stretch for me to understand. I’ve been that guy my whole life. I’m the little boy who loved school and learning all the while being ostracized by those who saw intelligence as a negative. I’m a kid from the bad neighborhood who got shipped off to the wealthy prep school for a chance at a better life, only to find that that life didn’t necessarily want me there. I’m the worldclass jock who dared to be smart, or conversely the smart kid who had the audacity to love and see the importance of excelling in athletics. Yeah, that’s still me; Steve Gordon Jr. I grew up in a lower-middle-class household, in the “bad” neighborhood in town, chock full of all of the stereotypical trappings and pitfalls, so I’m not even going to reference that. Everyone has their walls to scale, hills to climb and hurdles to leap. We’ve all faced struggles that would seem to be the end of us, times in life when we literally fall on bended knee, certain that we have no more to give. The facing of hard times and overcoming is relative. But I’ve had it taught to me that the strength, the dignity, the integrity and the success of it all is in the attempt. You don’t have to be better than everyone else. Truth is you may not be. But the “trying” is noble. It’s not really important to lay out how I’ve struggled because I’m not so sure that helps anyone else. It only causes our human intellect to draw immediate comparisons. The important ideal is to highlight the mindset of one who will not limit themselves to a finite number of attempts at crossing the divide keeping them from their goals. So instead, I offer what I call my “transfer methods”; how I best get from point A to point B—”A” being where I find myself at the inception of new endeavors and “B” being the end-goal or point at which I establish a new “A.”
Find Your Level
There’s a saying that says “water seeks its own level,” which—in very short—speaks to balance and adaptation. If indeed we are all unique creatures, then we are meant for situations that will unfold to be unique for each of us, even given similar situational set ups. Be brave, be con- stant, be steady and find the best fit for “self.” From there, so many things will present themselves.
Be a Positive Opportunist
People are always asking when it will be their chance, but in my estima- tion we let opportunities pass almost daily, out of lack of preparedness or not having the curiosity to check every door or the fortitude to take the leap. And say what you will about the term “opportunist” but the root of the word is “opportunity.” What is a person who looks for—better yet, yearns for the chance that will offer a window to success if not oppor- tunistic? The truth is there can—and must—be a positive spin on the idea of being prepared to be prepared. Ready yourself for the feeling of what it’s like to be ready to take every chance worth taking. Simply being prepared is only half of the work. You have to then be primed to act upon your preparedness. What good is setting your sights on a goal, only to pull back when opportunity presents itself?
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