Word of the Day, Monthly Goals, Laila Hajji

Hey everybody,
I thought might be driving into Tremonton (about twenty minutes away) to meet with a really nice lady, Mrs. Parry, who also happens to be a beauty coach.  But she ended up going to Salt Lake City today, so we'll probably meet in a few weeks after Spring Break.  It was nice to talk to her though, and she seemed very helpful.

One thing she suggested I do is focus on expanding my vocabulary- one word per day- until we meet up.  She said that during interview questions, you really stand out if you use colorful words that other youth aren't using, and you sound much more professional and grown up.  I couldn't agree more.  Luckily for me, I read quite a bit, so I think I already have a large vocabulary.  But what I really need to do is practice, so that using those more unique words comes naturally.

That said, today's word is: singular-
An adjective that means fantastic, incredible, one-of-a-kind, extroadinary, or remarkable.
For instance: My trip to the Denver Stock show was a singular experience- one that I wouldn't trade for anything.


Another thing I'm working on- eliminating stupid Utah words that have crept into my speech, such as the overuse of "way" and the letter "F"- which doesn't make any sense anyway!

I'm really excited to work with Mrs. Parry, but a little nervous too.  I'm probably not who she expects me to be (we've only talked over the phone).  I don't want to lose "Rachel" in this process- I really want to stay true to myself because I think that's what this process is all about- becoming the best YOU you can be.  I definitely have aspects of my demeanor and physical presentation that I can work on.

My goals in working with Mrs. Parry are these: become more dignified, answer interview questions better than I do now, gain poise, become more confident in myself, and present myself with femininity (i.e.- learn how to do my hair and make-up better :) )

I bought a new digital camera today, since I lost my old one in Alaska.  Here's a test photo I took:

I put this up on my bulletin board in November.  It's about as crafty as I get (3x5 cards, a Sharpie, tape, Post-its and crayons).  The word "dream" even sparkles when the sun shines on it- thanks to some sparkly eyeshadow left over from eighth grade.  I feature a goal visibly each month to work on.  Here are my past goals:
November- Stop Biting Nails
December- Get Caught up on Journaling
January- Do Service/Be Friendly
February- Have a Positive Attitude

And here's a picture of March- Work Out Three Times Per Week.  That may seem like a strange goal for National Office, but the way I see it, 75% of preparing to run is improving myself.  Yeah, I spend time memorizing FFA names, dates, and places...but that's not really what's important.  What's important is improving myself to become the best leader, and  best person, I can be.  That way, if I don't make office, I'll have no regrets.  It will have been time well spent improving myself.  Part of that is achieving balance and health in my physical body, so that's why this is my goal this month.  I bought some running shoes today too, so hopefully that will help motivate me.

I listened to Laila Hajji's retiring address today.  I wanted to watch it, but the video quality is terrible! Come on National FFA, what's the deal?  Or do you care, since probably the only one who watches them is me?

The speech was called, "Compared to What?" and it was about- you guessed it- comparison, and how truly damaging it can be. She used an anonymous quote that gets thrown around a lot in the FFA, "Stop comparing, start performing."  I actually prefer a variation of that same idea, a quote which I heard used in Angela Browning's retiring address when I studied during Blast OFF my State Officer year:  "Until you stop comparing, you will never grow."  I like mine better.

Anyway, it definitely was another theme that I am sticking to as I run for National Office.  In fact, here's another bulletin board quote I'll share for you.  I have it tacked up under the words, "My Mantra":

"You can accomplish your goals, if you set them.  Who says you're not tougher smarter, better, harder working, more able than your competition?  It does not matter if they say you can't do it. What matters, the only thing that matters, is it you say it."     --John C. Maxwell

It's far too easy for me to think "I can't do it" and to compare myself to others and their perceived advantages.  I'm not going to allow myself to do that.

Back to the speech.  I really liked the message, but I liked the construction a little better in Hannah's speech.  It was slightly easier follow, in my opinion.  But it was Laila's speech, she can do whatever she wants with it, I'm not criticizing, only commenting on what I thought.

Since the video quality was awful, I followed along on the speech transcript.  This was actually really interesting, because Laila didn't follow her transcript.  Sometimes she just changed the wording or jumped around, sometimes she added, deleted or completely changed entire paragraphs.  I was surprised how composed her voice was and how smooth the speech went with so many changes.  Some people can do that really well.  I'm not so great at thinking on my feet- it's easier for me to just memorize.  Otherwise I fumble up the stories and they don't make as much sense.  Also- I'm afraid that if I don't have it memorized, I'll forget really key points.  I think that happened to Laila, there were a few things that I was sad she left out of the presented version.

Haha, you know what's hilarious?  I still remember the two lines (exactly two) that I left out of MY State President Retiring Address:  "And his challenge to 'pass it on' was not just to my friends and I that day.  That challenge applies to everyone in this room."  It didn't make a huge difference, and I'm positive nobody noticed but me- but I still wish I would have included them.

Wow- what a rant.  I should end this now!
Have a singular weekend!
Rachel

PS- Apparently, Deputy Secretary Milligan was at USU on Thursday discussing the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative and I missed it!  I can't believe my Animal Science professor didn't tell me, I'm so mad!