Getting Back on the Horse

Everyone knows that if you fall off a horse you have to get right back on. This can be a hard thing to do, especially if it is a scary fall. Your confidence is shaken, you might feel embarrassed, you might just be scared to get back on, but if you don't you will regret it. In life we sometimes "fall". Sometimes you fail an assignment, you don't make cuts on a team, you get turned down for a date. All of these events shake your confidence, make you feel embarrassed, and can be scary to overcome. But you have to or you'll regret it. If you stop trying and stop moving forward you are going to miss out on so many opportunities and successes. But if you stand up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward you can accomplish more than you know. 

This week at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas one of the top barrel racers, Christy Loflin, fell off her horse. Barrel racers race around the arena at top speeds and have to be very athletic to stay on. Just as in any sport, any athlete can have a bad day. But she stood up, dusted herself off, moved on, and competed again the next night. The following comment is from her Facebook page. 

"As everyone probably knows by now I had an involuntary dismount on the first barrel.... I FELL OFF! Movin turned out from underneath me. As you can imagine I'm embarrassed, disappointed and frustrated! It's the worst thing that could happen to you at the NFR. Anything can happen when you climb up in the saddle. That's part of our sport. So I will dust my crazy pink pants off, get up and get ready to try it again in round six. I worked hard to get here and and hitting the ground at the Thomas & Mack SUCKS but I can promise you it's gonna make me tougher :)"

So when things don't go your way and you fall off, stand up, dust yourself off and remember that it will only make you stronger. 

Technology and Meetings

This week is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It is like the super bowl for rodeo and it is held in Las Vegas. 10 nights of the best cowboys and cowgirls competing with the best livestock for over 6 million dollars in prize money and world titles. Last year I was able to be  there in person but this year I have to watch from honey. It is times like this when i realize how amazing our modern technology is. I can be home, hours away from Vegas and see the NFR live! Its pretty great.

I was also able to experience the wonders of technology over Thanksgiving break when my group and I had to work on a project. Even though we were in different cities and even states we were able to communicate through gmail and email threads to make progress on our project. Even though group projects are not as exciting as the NFR the many uses we have for modern technology in business, education and agriculture are amazing  and something I will always be grateful for.

I Love Wa Wa

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to be a leader at a FFA leadership conference. FFA members from all over the state came to learn more about themselves and how they could be a better leader. The keynote speaker was Kent Julian. He was great! His teaching style was about letting people learn by figuring things out themselves, and not just lecturing or teaching. For his keynote address he shared a story about a young man that he taught in a swimming class. This young man was four years old and all he would say was his name, that he was four year old, and that he hated wa wa. For two months this child was in his swimming classes and he wouldn't get in the water. He hated wa wa and was very clear about letting Kent know. Until one day he finally jumped in the pool. Then he shouted that he loved wa wa and from there he became a great competitive swimmer.

The moral I like to take from this story is that sometimes we get in our own way. Each one of us is full of unlimited potential and the only thing holding us back from reaching that potential is ourselves. When we are finally able to step out of our comfort zones and rise above ourselves we can do amazing things. And, like Kent says, we can say "I love wa wa!"

Learning from the Trained

This week a new dog entered my farm family. Maggie is a five month old border collie that is not very well trained. Beaux, my other dog, is also a border collie. He is a year old and, unlike Maggie, is very well trained. This training will come in very handy as we work to train Maggie. A method of training used among some dog trainers is to have one very well trained dog that they put with the new dog. The idea is that the new dog will pick up on habits from the well trained dog.

So what does this have to do with us? All of us are new at something. We all have goals and are working towards things we want to accomplish. So how do we get there? We can work on our own, taking a lot of time to learn the basics, or we can be like Maggie and learn from those who are already trained. Getting help and learning from those around us is a great way to work towards accomplishing our goal. That is why networking, internships, job shadowing, and simply making friends is so important. Then, one day, we can be the Beaux to another "Maggie" and make a difference in someone else's life.

Presentations and Technology

Right now in one of my classes we are practicing our presentation skills. Each classmate has five minutes to give a presentation using a flip chart on a previously assigned topic relating to business. As I have been watching these presentations I have realized a few things about my presentation style and about presenting in general.

Presenting can be scary. Did you know that most people are more afraid of public speaking than of death? Why do you think that is? I think it is because it puts us in a place of vulnerability in front of our peers and opens us up different ways to be judged. It makes sense to be scared, but if you can confront and overcome those fears public speaking can be a huge confidence booster and give you a chance to make a difference in someone else's life.

Every near the National FFA Organization hosts a National FFA Convention. This year it was held in Louisville, Kentucky at the beginning of November. During the convention FFA members from all across the country come to hear speakers, learn more about what FFA has to offer, make friends, and receive awards. The speakers from this years conference included Nick Vujicic, Jeff Simmons, Donnie Smith, and various others. Not only were there great adult speakers, the national FFA officer team also gave their retiring addresses.

As I watched the sessions online and listened to the national officers speak I was overwhelmed at the caliber of people they were. These six young men showed knowledge and abilities far beyond their age of 20 and 21. Their speeches were life changing and very  moving. Below is the retiring address from the 2013-2014 National FFA President Brian Walsh. If you have a minute I highly suggest watching his speech. This is the kind of speaker I hope to be. I want to make a difference in the lives of others and just as with anything, practice makes perfect. But taking that first step is what is most important.

Sheep Dogs and Relationships

Every year in Heber Valley, Utah the Soldier Hollow Classic sheepdog trials take place. This is an extremely hard competition and people travel with their dogs from all over the world to compete. These trials require the sheep dog to travel far up a hillside while
their owner remains at the base of the hill. Using only whistles, the owner must have the dog guide the sheep through a course of gates, separate them into two groups, and end by herding them into a pen.

These dogs and owners spend a lot of time together and have a real working relationship based on trust and understanding. The dogs must be focused in order to hear the owners commands and the owners must show a real care for their dogs in order for their dogs to respond. I have been thinking a lot about this relationship recently and how these principles can apply to other areas in life. The journey that the dogs are on is a difficult one. There are many obstacles they have to overcome and they cannot see the finish from the start of the course. They have to trust their owner and be paying attention for the signals so they understand where to go. This trust can only be built through hard work on the owners part. The love of a dog is a great thing to have and has to be earned over time.

So often today many people are focused on success and making it to the next level. We sometimes believe that our family and friends will always be there for us and, because they want us to succeed, it is ok to put developing those relationships on the back burner while we pursue our goals. In his book "How Will You Measure Your Life?" Clayton Christensen discusses this topic and states that those relationships are too valuable to lose. Our relationships with our family and friends are the ones that need constant nourishment. After all, when we do succeed, what is success without having someone there to share it with?

I think that everyone wants to know that when they speak their friends will hear. When they need someone that their friends will be there for them. That relationship goes both ways and is in need of constant nourishment. The relationships we develop with our friends and family are the most important successes we can have in our lives.

This is Beaux. He is a border collie and is very smart. He would do anything for me because we have worked and are constantly working to build our relationship. 

Below is a video further detailing the sheep dog trails. Feel free to watch for more information. 

Interviews and Progress

This past week I had the opportunity to participate in a few mock interviews both with a panel of interviewers and online. This was a great opportunity because it helped me learn more about being both an interviewer and an interviewee. I know I write a lot about agriculture and it is because agriculture is my passion. I want to be involved in it and there are so many great lessons you can learn about life that come through participation. I want to work in agriculture which means I need to be able to interview and present myself well. It doesn't matter what field you find yourself going into, good interviewing skills are a must.
From my interviews I learned the few nervous ticks I have. Everyone has them and sometimes they can be very distracting and detracting from an interview. Now that I know what I do when I am nervous I can take counter measures to help me overcome that bad habit. I also learned that sometimes when I get excited about a subject I talk too much. This detracts from the interview as well because it takes up time needed to answer other questions. The resume feedback I got was great! A resume is an employers first impression of you and so it needs to fit both you and the job description. I learned where to expand on my experiences and what to cut out. The best part of this interview process was that I got to mock interview for a job I am really interested in. This meant I got to answer questions that really related to my desired line of work and figure out where I can improve. Answering questions like, "What makes you feel you are qualified for this job?" or, "Explain your major to me." or, "Tell me about your greatest weakness." all really help me evaluate my problem, action, result stories (PAR Stories) and become more confident in myself. Overall, these mock interviews were great experiences where I learned how to ask questions to find what I am looking for in an employee and how to answer questions to make myself look desirable to possible employers.