Jackhammer Stories #2: How I got a perfect score on a university exam I never wrote.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

McGill University. 1972. First Semester Psychology 101 Class.

HOW I MADE IT HAPPEN:

My entrepreneurial career started in the most surprising place and at the most surprising time. 

I was never prepared for it nor did I plan for it. I jumped into it because the alternative was unacceptable.

Let me explain...

It wasn’t starting a business but it was being entrepreneurial nevertheless - doing my own thing.

My first year in University was not a good experience for me. I was half in and half out.

Like most of my friends and many others my age - I had no clue what the hell I was there for and what I was going to do with my life.

Even at 20 years old, when most people followed a conventional path, I challenged myself and stepped off of that beaten path. 

After several months into a nauseatingly boring Psychology class flooded with platitudes, the professor told us she expected everyone to hand in their first term paper within a week.

Like reporters hot on the prowl of a headline story, most students rushed from class to the library.

After making my way to the library I was stunned by what I observed.

I expected students were going to do research to build the contents for their term paper...

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Most were not doing this. They were cutting and pasting the information that would become the contents of their term paper.

I am no choirboy, but if this exercise would fly I wondered what the point of the term paper was.

What was the point of the class? What was the point of ever going to class again? 

Again - I chose the road less travelled. This unexpected scenario sparked an outside-the-box idea.

I called it back then "The Creative Academic Lecture", OR CAL for short.

The next day I went to see my professor and I presented my CAL. 

Instead of doing a term paper I told her I wanted to present an hour-long presentation incorporating music (keep in mind, these were the days before YouTube) and visuals.

I wanted to tell a creative story built around the contents presented in that stodgy Academic Psychology Book we were studying for 3 laborious months.

She listened intently.

After I finished she stayed silent for a minute or two, which seemed like an eternity.

I was about to ask her what she thought when she blurted out, “I will let you do this on one condition, Myron, and if you agree you can do it. The paper is worth 30 points. You will either get 30 or zero."

I quickly answered. “But everyone else is graded fairly, why?”

She didn’t answer. Nor did she offer any feedback on what I wanted to do. "I have another appointment Myron - do you accept the conditions or not?"

I admit I hesitated for a fraction of a second, but only a fraction.

Without another thought - the words jumped out of my mouth “I accept. I accept."

"Ok. Good. When do you want to present it to the class?"

"Next Friday."

"Perfect. Next Friday it is, the class will be devoted to your presentation. Good luck Myron" was all she said.

I walked out of her office wondering what the hell I just did.

I have never done anything like this before... I went on and on berating myself until I realized it doesn’t matter, the clock is ticking and in a week I need to be ready.

Unless I want to quit and do what the rest were doing.

Friday rolled around and I was ready as ever and shaking like crazy. You could hear it in my voice when I started.

After a few minutes of doing my thing - I just kept going.

I told my story and did exactly what I had told the Professor I would do.

At the end, everyone in class stood up, stunned and gave me a resounding applause.

Afterward the professor also congratulated me, and yes, I got a 30.

This experience inspired me to write my one and only poem: 

And the little people turned away

Learning from tomorrow what they learned today 

And nobody had saw

Nobody had seen

That the sun turned red

And the moon turned green !

TAKEAWAYS:

1. If you don’t believe in yourself or are afraid to fail- don’t do it.

2. Don’t let anyone put you in a box. Thinking and acting outside of the box is how you set yourself apart. 

3. If you don’t push yourself and put yourself out there, you will fade away.

4. Find and connect with allies. Stay away from those who don’t understand your mission and never will. 

5. Most importantly - be a Jackhammer. Don't stop trying, there is no other way.

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