Texas was defined by its larger-than-life characters, particularly politicians.
To get it first is important - but more important is to get it right.
My goal was to be a network correspondent by the time I was 30.
Walking into a room filled with people you don't know but who know you brings out your worst vulnerabilities.
Although I was entirely relaxed on camera, if I had to stand up and say something to an assembled group of people, I was rendered all but inarticulate.
I very much wanted to be accepted by my peers, to be considered a serious journalist.