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.

Chicken Wrangling in the Dark

On my farm we have two chicken coops. Each chicken coop is home to a flock of chickens. Because the weather was so nice at the beginning of the week we decided to let them out to roam and eat bugs. Now, we don't usually worry about our chickens going back into their coop at night because chickens like to roost at night. This means they sleep on perches above the ground to protect themselves. All we have to do is go lock up the chicken coop after all the chickens are inside where they to to sleep safe and sound from dogs or raccoons. 

http://danieldendy.blogspot.com/2011/02/curses-like-chickens-come-home-to-roost.html

Apparently, this flock of chickens that we have doesn't care to roost which means they didn't care to go back in the chicken coop. These chickens found it much more enjoyable to huddle outside on the ground with a view of the barn light. When they were in their coop they would sleep on the ground in the view of the barn light, but there they were protected. Because we couldn't leave them outside to get eaten my father and I spent a good amount of time chasing and catching the chickens and securing them in their coop. 

Now, what is the point of this story? Chickens like light. They like to be in the light for as long as they can each day. Light is a good thing, but in this case, their focus on the light was endangering their safety. In our lives it can be so easy to become focused on a good thing. It might be graduating from high school or college. It might be securing that dream job or saving enough money to buy that dream house or car. Focusing on and accomplishing these things is great, however, sometimes we need to step back and check where we are. Has our focus on that good thing led us to a place where we are in danger? Have we been so focused on that good thing that we have missed other opportunities that could bring us much more joy and happiness along the way? If all we do is focus on graduating from high school or college we will miss out on many amazing experiences. We may not be in danger of being eaten by a dog or raccoon, but we will be in danger of losing chances to make friends and grow in many other ways. Focus on the light, but don't be like the chickens. Remember that there are many opportunities out there if you take a moment to look around and see them. Don't be so focused on the future that you miss the present because the present is the best part. 

The Oh so Scary Something

There is a saying that goes, "Horses are only afraid of two things: (1) Things that move and (2) things that don't." This saying is sadly all too true. This week while riding at the arena one of our horses had a large freak out because she was afraid of a piece of farm equipment parked outside the arena. The piece of equipment was not making any noise or even moving, yet it was very, very, very scary to this horse. This fear kept her from performing her best and made the ride a struggle.

What fears do we have that hold us back? What fears do we have that keep us from reaching our full potential? Some people are afraid of heights. This fear can keep them from experiencing amazing views from a hot air balloon or experiencing a large adrenaline rush from rock climbing. Some people are afraid of spiders and that can keep them from enjoying the outdoors and all the beauty it has to offer.

Later in the ride this same horse spooked at something she couldn't even see. The wind was blowing and the compost pile near the arena had a few tree branches on it and she thought something behind them was scary. Nothing was there however, convincing her of that was a challenge. We all have fears that we can't see. Things like failure, rejection, speaking in public or talking to people. If we let those fears control us we can miss out on amazing opportunities and successes.

Everyone has fears both seen and unseen. It is how we deal with those fears that decides who we will be. If we let our fears get the best of us, like the horse did, we will have a "bad ride" and not reach our full potential.

The horse I was riding was scared of the same things. The difference was his reaction. When he saw something scary and I walked him up to investigate it, he faced the scary thing head on. By looking at his fear he was able to overcome it and we had a nice ride.

We need to be more like my horse. It is impossible to avoid all our fears if we want to have a fulfilling life. Overcoming scary things is part of growing up and growing stronger. We need to face our fears head on and view them objectively. Then we may realize that the scary thing is no more than a simple piece of farm equipment. When we can overcome our fears we can reach new heights and rise to a potential we never knew was possible. 

The Grass Is Always Greener....

For the last few months we have had a few cows in the pasture at my house. These cows are dairy steers that we are finishing out to eat. Our pasture is quite large and full of good grass but for some reason, a couple of the cows decided it was not enough. No matter how much hay and grain we kept feeding them, on top of free range grass, they were constantly reaching through the fence to eat the grass on the other side. These cows are pretty big, and they are pretty strong. A fence can only handle so much which meant they ended up pushing through and getting out. 

This experience got me thinking about the "grass is always greener" principle. It is when, no matter our situation, something else looks better. Maybe you have been working to get a really good job and once you get it you see another job that looks better. Maybe you find a great apartment but after you move in you find something that looks better. Maybe it is something as simple as going to a movie and then wishing you went bowling instead. These are all examples of the "grass is always greener" principle.

One lesson I learned as I thought about this experience this week is to enjoy yourself. Lift where you stand. Be happy on your side of the fence. There will always be other options that present themselves. We can't do everything and we can't be everywhere but we can choose to be happy with the current situation we are in. If we spend our whole life looking on the other side of the fence and wishing we were there we will miss a lot of great opportunities that are happening right under our noses.

Even though the cows pushed and pushed to get through the fence, once they got to the other side they started looking for the next great thing. If we are constantly looking ahead and wishing we were somewhere else we are going to miss a lot of life. I think we need to slow down and enjoy where we are at in life or we will miss out on a lot. I think we need to stop second guessing ourselves when we make decisions and go forth with vigor when we make a decision. I think we need to enjoy the moment and pay attention to the little things. Only then will we realize that the grass is NOT always greener on the other side, and that we are standing in a field full of endless possibilities.