How Rules Can Limit Your Potential
I’ll never forget one of my first job interviews after graduation. I was asked the question — “If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?”
I paused for a second…thought about it, and uttered: “Rule Breaker.”
Interviewer: “That’s two words.”
Me: “Exactly.”
What my future boss didn’t realize was that I wasn’t joking. It was a warning of things to come. I went on to explain how I enjoy testing the limits. My goal would always be to aim higher…even if I cracked my head on a few ceilings. Apparently, he bought it.
I didn’t last long at that job though…I was promoted within 3 months.
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
-Abe Lincoln
Rule breaking is less about morality, and more about pushing the margins off the page.
It’s about having the courage to go with your gut.
It’s about being Bold. Brave. Confident…and sometimes, Stupid.
I’ve recently noticed most online blogs are filled with fluff. There’s a ton of generic advice flying around out there, like dandelions in the wind. Good advice, but often unspecific. The only way I know how to offer real advice, is to give real examples. So, I’d like to cut through the fluff, and share a candid story about breaking the rules.
Let’s Keep It Real, Ya’ll.
Honestly, I probably shouldn’t share this story so publicly, because it exposes me a little. But, you can’t hide being a rebel…it will eventually come out.
Frank and I had recently formed Parabox Creative. We had only been creating branded content together for a couple of months. Things were moving fast. Demand was a little higher than either of us predicted, but it was still manageable.
Then we got the email…and it all started to spin out of control.
It was a request from Samsung to produce some video content. At this point, we had worked with some pretty big companies. We’d actually already produced some Vine content for Samsung, (which is probably why they contacted us) but this was different…
They were launching a Top Secret new product, and wanted to send two team members from their South Korea offices to our US office to film some short videos that showcased the new device for when they released it to the public.
No big deal, right?
Except for the fact that WE DIDN’T HAVE AN OFFICE! We were still working (unrelated) full-time jobs, and running parabox at nights and on weekends… from our living rooms.
Conventional wisdom would suggest: don’t take the project. Just be honest, and admit that Samsung doesn’t need to send two team members halfway around the world to film videos in a garage.
But then I asked myself, W.W.H.B.D.?
(What Would Honey Badger Do?)
Remember the Honey Badger? He’d say: bring it on! So, we took the job…like idiots.
Some Logistics: Frank’s in TX. I’m in NC. And we have two Samsung employees from South Korea bringing a highly confidential product (that they have to keep under lock and key) to “our office” to film for a week??? Ummmmm. Ok.
We. Got. This. #Gameface
The plan:
- Frank takes a week off work.
- I take a week off work.
- I find a large studio space to rent out for that week.
- I make the studio look like it’s ours.
- Frank flies to NC.
- Koreans fly to NC.
- We eat barbecue together.
- Frank complains that it’s not Texas bbq.
- I kick Frank’s shin under the table so he doesn’t give away our fake story.
- He totally redeems himself.
- We film Top Secret videos.
- We all high five.
- Koreans fly back.
- Frank flies back.
- World is saved.
It was a S-T-U-P-I-D plan…and yet, it freaking worked.
I distinctly remember these guys taking photos of our ‘fake studio,’ and messaging them to their colleagues back home. They couldn’t believe our setup. We couldn’t either. Parabox Creative was acquired by Softway Solutions one month later.
No more having to take vacation time from our day jobs to fake it. We had somehow made it real.
Fake it til’ you make it.
or
Fake it til’ you break it.
Months before all this went down, I was having detailed conversations about parabox’s potential with a good friend of mine, Ben Arment. I’m not sure why, but he believed in what I was doing. Ben would consistently challenge me to view things bigger than they were. He would say things like: “sometimes you have to pretend before you can become.” He was right.
This ‘pretending’ mentality actually comes naturally to a lot of us. We’re just trained over time to ignore it. As kids, we embody this inner fantasy where we can magically transform into any character or hero that we want to be. This imaginative mindset is often considered as only a childhood daydream…but the truth is — if you’re serious about it — it can become a reality.
As cliche as it may sound, you can truly be whoever you want to be.
There’s a natural system set up for success. We’re all familiar with it:
- Get an Education
- Get Experience
- Get Paid
The ‘rule breakers’ don’t care about this process, because they know it only defines the status quo. They like to skip steps. They cheat the system. They change the game. Think about the true innovators that bypassed the standard operating procedure: Jobs. Gates. Disney. Ogilvy. Zuck. Biz. Abe.
They knew that life was more about hard work and hustle than playing by the rules.
Success is only limited by the walls that you put around yourself. The things you feel like you need to validate your goals are only illusions….hallucinations in a field of dreams.
The only thing you truly need is the balls to make something out of nothing.
I promise it can be done.
Trust me, if I can fake it — you can too.