By Olivia Looker, Showpig.com Summer 2022 Intern What I really mean is be willing to be the most unexperienced, uneducated person in any room you are in because that is when personal growth happens. Let me explain. Starting my first internship, I can assure you I was most definitely the dumbest person in the room 99 percent of the time. Starting something new can be scary, and many days I would walk into a room with big thinkers, communicators, businessmen and women, activists, professors, doctors; people with years of experience and ideas. And then there was me. You can only imagine how out of place I felt by just listening to these amazing conversations that I knew, quite literally, nothing about. I felt so lucky to be around these people though. I knew I was in the right place because they knew everything I didn’t about the industry I love most. It was always inspiring to hear the ideas they have as well as what they have already accomplished, it gave me something to work towards. As I sat at the table with these mentors and industry leaders I couldn’t help but feel discouraged as self-doubt crept into my mind. I wondered if I had signed up for more than I could handle. Maybe I had to high of expectation for myself? Could I ever have a career working alongside of these folks, or should I settle with staying in my comfort zone? It wasn’t until hearing a mentor of mine say, “Don’t be afraid to be the dumbest person in the room,” that my mindset shifted. Hearing Jackie Lackey talk about how she had been in the same position and had felt the same feeling, made me open my eyes to reality. I couldn’t believe that someone as impactful as her feels the same as me sometimes. Along with all her co-workers, she sits in rooms just like I do and feels like she is the dumbest person in the room. I finally realized, at the end of the day, we all are the dumbest person in the room somewhere. Being the dumbest person in the room isn’t a bad thing! The dumbest person in the room is the person who has the most potential and room to grow. The dumbest person in the room has big dreams and goals. The dumbest person in the room is a great listener. Listening and absorbing information constantly, this person sees and hears all. How can a person learn if they never started from the bottom? The most inspiring people I know started from the bottom and worked to the top. Big things don’t come easily. Sitting back and taking everything in is powerful, and that’s exactly what I did. My feeling of discouragement and fear turned into creativity and hope. Being surrounded with people that are so educated on a topic I am just starting to learn about only makes me more hopeful to one day be in that person’s shoes. I had to take time to realize that I am sitting with these people!! I am here! I made it! How incredible? I am already a step ahead of where I want to be, why not enjoy it? I attended Showpig.com All-Star Camp where I heard inspiring stories of people in the industry. These people told us about the good and bad they encountered during their careers. It was comforting to know that these people went through struggles and times of discouragement too. I could tell I wasn’t alone in this feeling and that I put too much pressure on myself to be perfect. Perfection doesn’t exist. I had the opportunity to learn about my personal strengths, looking deeper into why I am the way I am and how I can use my strengths to the best of my ability to create a positive future for myself finically, socially and in my career. Just attending the events I did this summer helped me grow as a person more than I ever expected when I started this internship at the beginning of the summer. The change is drastic. Because I decided to take a step out of my comfort zone and risk a few moments of embarrassment or even fear of being the most uneducated, I will now have the opportunity to be the smartest in the room. I now have connections that can get me way beyond what I could have ever thought. I have learned a great amount about myself that I can use in a future career or personal setting. I learned my weaknesses so that I can improve for my next adventure, and that in itself is smart. Looking back, I feel dumb for not wanting to be the dumbest in the room. Looking at all the improvements I have made, I couldn’t be prouder of myself for having the courage to just sit back and listen. So, get out of your comfort zone because that’s where growth happens. Please be the dumbest in the room somewhere. Surround yourself with the smartest and most successful people you can imagine always; those are the people that will get you where you need to be. Surrounding yourself with great people who have the same passions as you are only going to make you better. Eventually you will be the smartest in the room without a doubt.