THERE ARE SOME individuals I could mention that will probably tell you I’m some kind of cutthroat, ambitious bitch. I’m not naming names, but I know people talk. And right now what they’re probably saying about me is what a pushy ball-busting woman I was down at the studio. They’re saying I was full of myself, thought I was so great.
Well, what if I did? Since when did it start to be a crime to have a little confidence and self-esteem? If I didn’t blow my own horn, who else was going to do it for me?
I may not be some bra burner, but I’ll tell you this. Nobody gets on a guy’s case just because he knows he’s good and says it. If a guy tells his boss he deserves a raise, or a more responsible position, it earns him points. But you take someone like me, and just because I’m petite and blonde, I’m supposed to be some shy, retiring little decoration in the corner, never making any waves, never going after any more than what people give me. So when I didn’t behave that way, they call me a ball buster.
It’s true, I went into our station manager’s office and told him I wanted to be made the news anchor within six months. Yes, I pushed him hard, to send me to the cable TV conference. I told him I wanted to produce a segment about the lives of a bunch of high school kids from the wrong side of the tracks. You think if I hadn’t done that, Ed was going to stop by my desk some morning and say, “Hey, Suzanne, suppose I let you use a minicam for a few days, to make us a report on teen life”? Not likely.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. You have a goal, you’re a fool not to go out there and pursue it. Because I’ll tell you something: If I don’t go after what I want, there’s always going to be someone else who will. And if there’s a prize out there for the taking, it might as well be mine.