Obstruct

Today's word (yes, I'm doing this again now) is obstruct.  It's a verb that means to impede, hinder, or prevent, as in: When my room is messy, it obstructs my ability to concentrate and be productive.


Have a great day,
Rachel

April's Goal and Nessie Early

Hey everyone,
Sorry I haven't been blogging recently and more or less abandoned my Word of the Day.  I have been really busy, all my classes are gearing up and getting crazy before finals, so I won't necessarily be able to do much studying.  I'm excited for the summer though, then I can really spend time studying like crazy!

I started on my April goal a little early- on Friday. My goal for April is another one that is going to sound absurd.  But for me, it's something that I need to work on, so don't laugh.  My goal for April is to dress up at least one day per week.  Like I said, it sounds silly, but I can't do make up very well and I really need to learn how to so that I'll look professional.  And I had this crazy idea to get feedback...I may regret it later and change my mind, but for now I'm posting pictures of my make up and you can comment and tell me what you think.  I took this picture today.  One of my biggest problems is eyeliner...I waste so much of it putting it on and then washing it off until it looks normal.  But I think I like the eyeliner today.  I also really don't want to have dark emo eyes...I got some brown mascara and I like that.  I never know what eyeshadow to wear, so I tried gold?  Tell me what you think.  Also, I don't have a lot of time to straighten my hair, do you think it looks professional as it is?


I listened to Nessie Early's speech this week while I folded my laundry- actually I listened to it twice (I had a lot of laundry).  I was really looking forward to seeing her speech, which I missed at Convention.  I don't really know why, I just think she looks really cute and seemed very personable whenever I saw her.

Unforetunately, my opinion started to change by paragraph two when Nessie said:  "I’m willing to admit that I binge read the Twilight series."

Strike One.

 Luckily, the speech got better, fantastic actually, and I was able to forgive her.  It's okay Nessie.  A lot of people fall into the Twilight trap.

I loved her message.  Her speech was entitled, "Nothing Left," and it was about giving of ourselves which was almost exactly what I did my retiring address on.  So I loved it, I love that topic.

One of the first examples she uses is a State Officer from Colorado named Landan.  When I heard her talk about him, I immediately thought, "Wow, what would it be like to give of yourself so fully that a National Officer takes notice?"  I hope that I try to give of myself, but I don't know if someone would pick me out of a crowd, or specifically say that about me.

Then, using a delayed identification technique (that's a fancy journalism term :) ) she reveals that Landon is blind.  I love the way she catches the audience by surprise, that's something I will try to do in my speeches.

Then she said something great that I immediately scribbled down (on the back of an envelope, the first thing I grabbed) that's going up on my quote wall:

"Do we give of ourselves?  Or do we only think of ourselves?" 

Actually, there were three such quotes Nessie used that made it on my quote wall, which is really impressive. The next was a sign she saw while at a conference in Nebraska, which said:

"Be student driven, focused on a higher purpose."

She talks about how at the conference in Nebraska, she had only been "me driven," and she left knowing that she could have given more.

When I think back on my State Officer year, I feel content and happy with what I was able to give.  I don't resent it at all or feel I did a bad job.  But I am always looking for things to improve upon.  And after listening to this speech, I started thinking, "When could I have given more?"  Not at the Homer Take-Off, I pretty much laid it all on the line, even though I felt like I was going to die. But could I have given more of myself at the Kodiak Take-Off?  The Juneau Trip?  State Convention?

I've been working on journaling in the last few days (it was my goal for December, but it's still a struggle) and I've found that I'm constantly writing, "That's something to work on."  So giving of myself, all the time, always- is something I need to work on.   It's okay for me to have weaknesses, as long as I'm trying to improve.

Back to Nessie's speech: her last topic was, I thought, very insightful.  She talked about how it seems so simple and important to be kind to complete strangers, but how we sometimes ignore our family and friends.  That really hit a nerve with me.  I thought about the way I treat my siblings sometimes, and realized that I would never treat anyone else I know the same way.  I guess in my mind, it's like "they have to love me anyway," so I feel like I can get away with not treating them with the love and respect they deserve- perhaps more so, because they're always there for me!  The same goes for my parents.  After listening to the speech, I made it a goal to treat my friends and family better, and not to take advantage of their love and support.

Family: I love you so much.  I know that whatever I do in life, I have a huge group of cheerleaders and I really appreciate you all, even though I sometimes act like a brat.  I will work harder to show you how much I love and appreciate you in my life from now on.

I'll close this entry with Nessie's closing words, because I found them to be so powerful.  If you get the chance to listen to her speech, or just a few seconds, listen to this end part:

"Give when it is difficult, give when it’s easy, give when others advise against it and when it isn’t cool, give when you don’t want to, give when you don’t have time to, give because you know it is the right thing to do, give because it matters and give until you have nothing left!"

I hope you have plenty of opportunities to give this week,
Rachel

Keeping Commitments: i.e. Real Study

Hey everybody,
Last week was Spring Break, which explains my lack of posting and Word of the Days.  I spent it in Boston with my sister Melissa and her family, and one of my good friends Madison. It was great fun, but I didn't do anything very agricultural while I was there to report on. :)

Before I left though,. I had an experience that I really wanted to blog about, but didn't get a chance to (my parents were in town and my brother was getting married...it was busy). So, I'll tell you about it now.

Thursday night, (March 11) I finished a long and very good video conference with my coach Rayne.  I was excited to get to work on some new projects and do some studying that evening.  The problem was, I already had plans for that night.

Let me give you some background information:  I love working with students with disabilities.  It's an interest of mine, I thought I might even major in Special Education.  Anyway, I work with students in my Society and Disability class at the university, and also in a "reverse mainstream" religion class.

One student, named Brian, has become a good friend of mine.  I work with him every Tuesday studying the Book of Mormon, and we have a lot of fun together.  I try not to miss that class very often because it makes Brian very sad.  Last Tuesday, (March 9) he asked me to come to a special needs talent show he (and many of the other students with disabilities) would be performing in.  I told him that I would borrow my brother's car or find a ride and that I would be there, for sure.  I even made a pinky promise on it.

Well, Thursday night came and I had arranged for my brother Calvin to pick me up and take me to the talent show.  The problem was, I just didn't feel like going. I had a ton of laundry to do, my room was a mess, I needed to pack for Boston, and I had a lot of FFA studying to do to make up for the time I'd miss on Spring Break.  I thought to myself, "I'm just too busy, I can't make it."  That, and I just didn't want to go, because sitting alone at a talent show didn't sound like much fun.  I've never much liked talent shows.

I grabbed my cell phone to call Calvin and tell him not to pick me up, and started to close the browsers on my laptop.  As I scrolled over my blog, I noticed my entry from just a few days ago, and read the following:

"And today's word is livid, an adjective which means enraged or furiously angry, as in: When people break promises or fail to follow through with their commitments, it makes me livid!"

I had just written about how angry it makes me when people don't follow through with commitments, and  yet I was about to break my promise to Brian.  How hypocritical I had become!

Studying, I realized, is not just learning and memorizing facts, answering interview questions, and looking professional.  It's also having character, being the best person you can be and doing what you say you will do.  I knew that, I try to work on that with my monthly goals, but I guess I had forgotten.

So, I called Calvin and told him to pick me up- I would go to the talent show.  I knew I was doing the right thing, but I still felt like I was wasting some of my precious time.  So I brought a leadership book and thought maybe I could read a bit when the show got especially dull.

I'm so glad I went.  The moment the show started, I caught on to the spirit of the audience, which seemed to have one goal: make every performer feel like a super star.  The emcee was great as well, making everyone laugh and he connected so well with all the kids.

The show was over 2 hours long, but I didn't get out my book ever.  The talent show was really fun, and I felt great about keeping my promise.  Seeing Brian's face afterward, when he saw that I had come, was well worth it.

In conclusion: studying to me means becoming who I want to be.  So when I tell the Nominating Committee that I'm a person who keeps their promises, I want it to be a true statement.

Speaking of promises, I promised Lori that I would finish the State Convention article tomorrow...so I have to do it now!  Life is hectic, but I love it. :)

Have a nice night, I'll blog more later,
Rachel

Real Leadership

I've been debating whether to post this here, but I've been thinking a lot about it and I think it applies to my philosophy on leadership, and just on life in general, so I decided to put it up.

Today I got to see Kelie Babcock speak at the Business building.  Kelie is the daughter of Lara and Mike Babcock- who were great friends with my parents in high school.  The Kenleys and Babcocks go way back, because the Babcocks used to live right next to us when my older siblings were growing up.  Although I never really knew them growing up, we went on a few family vacations with them and we always get their Christmas letter.

Anyway, Kelie is 27 and was born with Escobar syndrome.  Because of this, she needs to be hooked up to a ventilator and gets around using a wheelchair.  She was recently crowned Miss Wheelchair Utah.

Her message today was on living with a disability and making the most out of life, no matter what your situation is.  Her platform for the Miss Wheelchair Pageant was "You are unique.  Live it. Love it.  Rock it!"

What an awesome message!  Although we are not all born with disabilties- in reality few people are- we are all born unique.  We need to accept our circumstances, whatever they may be, learn to love them, and then, as Kelie says, "rock it like no one else can."

Personally, I often get discouraged by my 'uniqueness.'  I often (although I know I shouldn't!) compare myself to others, and I fall short.  One thing I need to accept and live with in my life is that I'm an organized and disciplined person.  I have longed to be spontaneous and adventurous like many of my friends, but the fact is, no matter what I try, I have to stick to a schedule and a plan or I feel uncomfortable.

This little part of my personality can be so annoying!  I would love to just run out of my dorm room on Friday night and do something crazy and random, but that's just not me.

Luckily, no matter what is different about each one of us, we can live it, love it, and rock it.  For me, that means making the most of my personality, which is actually really positive when used the right way.  I get good grades usually, not because I'm exceptionally smart but because I never forget or lose track of my homework.  I am also using this strength in running for National Office, and I'm working on really embracing and 'rocking' this part of my personality fully.

Another thing Kelie talked about was being able to do whatever she wanted.  Kelie has never been limited by her birth defect.  She does whatever she puts her mind to doing- even driving in her own modified (and very cool) Mini Cooper.  Kelie is very short, but what she lacks in height she makes up for in her big and energetic personality.  Her address was incredible and she captured the attention of everyone in the audience just by being herself.

This is what true leadership means to me.  To be leaders we have to encourage others to be confident being themselves.  The best way to do that is by example- so I'm working on loving being myself.  And Kelie's a great example to me of that.

Kelie shared this quote by e.e. cummings that I thought really summed up her whole address.  It will probably get put up on my quote wall here soon. :)

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make  you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop  fighting."

Have a splendid day,
Rachel

Elated, Livid

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday.  I thought of the word yesterday though, I just had an unexpected trip to Best Buy to take care of.  :)

March 9: Elated is an adjective which means jubilant, in high spirits, as in: I was elated to get an audio tape in the mail yesterday.


And today's word is livid, an adjective which means enraged or furiously angry, as in: When people break promises or fail to follow through with their commitments, it makes me livid!


Have a great day!
Rachel

Tenacious

Today's word is tenacious.  It's an adjective that means holding strong, persistent, stubborn, as in: I am tenacious of religion, and it colors the way I see the world.  I am tenacious when it comes to achieving my goals.


I e-mailed out a bunch of questionnaires to past National Officers and National Officer candidates last weekend and am starting to get responses.  They are so helpful, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner! (and Rayne told me I would say that :) )  But really, thanks to everybody who replied, now I feel like I'm getting a clearer view of the things I can be doing to prepare and what the process will actually be like.

Have a happy Monday!
Rachel

Immerse

Today's word is immerse.  It means to engage wholly or absorb, as in: As a child, I was immersed in the world of Harry Potter novels.


That's all I got.  Have a fun day!
Rachel

Prodigious

Today's word is prodigious.  It means onerous, monstrous, difficult, or extraordinary in size.  As in: preparing to run for National FFA Office is a prodigious task.  Planning the Alaska State FFA Convention was a prodigious feat. 
I thought about "herculean."  That's a pretty cool word, but let's be serious...anyone who uses that word in an interview isn't being genuine, they're trying too hard.

I've studied tons today and last night.  I don't know why, I just got on a roll and it felt good so I kept going.  I want to thank everybody who is so supportive of me.  You guys are the greatest, I would never be able to attempt this without you guys believing in me.  Especially because of this scary statistic I encountered in the last isue of New Horizons magazine: only .000012% of FFA members ever become National Officers.  Pretty crazy right?  But I'm already Alaska's candidate, so I really have a 1/52 chance at this point...if Guam, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and all the other states bring candidates- which is pretty unlikely.

Have an awesome weekend,
Rachel

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!

Tyler Tenbarge, Hannah Crossen, and "Encouraging the Heart"

Hey all,
Yesterday I got to talk on the phone to Tyler Tenbarge, Eastern Region National FFA Vice President from 2007-2008.  He came to the 2008 Alaska State Convention, when I was running for state office, and then helped train my state officer team at NLCSO and State President's Conference.  He's a great guy and a great friend.  He had some wonderful advice about running and gave me a lot of insight into the process.  I felt good after the conversation, many of the things that he suggested I do I've already started doing, so that's very reassuring.  He also told me to go slow and be careful not to burn myself out with study before National Convention comes along.  I definitely think he's right- I'm only going to do what I can handle, which is why I'm not going to beat myself up too bad over the measly 5ish hours I did this week.

Also, after that conversation I watched Hannah Crossen's retiring address from the 2009 National Convention.  I think I missed this because of Job Interview finals, but I'm so glad I went back to watch it- it was incredible!  I really, really liked her message.

The speech was entitled "Fearless," and it was about letting go of our fears so that we can really go after the things we want to, a message which really resonated with me and seeking National Office.  There's so much to be afraid of, especially, Hannah points out, fear of failure.  I'm absolutely sure I'll revisit this speech again.  My computer was having issues and I was also a little distracted, so I had to listen/read/watch it.  My favorite quote (that I wrote on a sticky note and added to my bulletin board of quotes) was "Being scared of not being good enough is a waste of time."

How true is that?  I HATE wasting time, I like to think of myself as a productive, focused person- and yet I waste time by just being afraid to try new things.  When we are afraid of taking risks we may never find out what we are good at, what we enjoy, or what we're destined to be!

Here's another good quote on that subject by Arnold Bennett:  "The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort-he never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature."

I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to be that guy.

Anyway- I loved the address.  I didn't really feel like I knew the 2008-2009 Officers since they were elected after I was trained as a State Officer, but it seems like Hannah was a very effective leader, and I liked her speaking style as well.  You can watch her RA here.  Also- you can read through all the speeches I mention in the Proceedings of the 2009 National FFA Convention here.

The leadership book I'm reading right now is called, "Encouraging the Heart."  I'm only about fifty pages in, but I really like it so far.  Basically, the entire book is about leadership through encouragement.  The book uses a lot of real-life examples to prove points, which is a great strategy for workshops and speeches, and I'm taking note of that.

Also, it talks a lot about believing in others.  I know I blogged about this recently, but it's really been on my mind.  I guess I used to think leadership was more about me- being responsible, getting a lot done, making changes- all on my own.  But now I'm realizing leadership doesn't work with just one person.  If you want to lead others, you have to let them do things.  Too often I think I try to do it all, and that's not only impossible, it's also not preferable.  Who am I benefiting?  Nobody.

I've thought a lot about the way I worked with my State Officer teammates.  First though, let me preface this, I really think I did a good job as a State Officer.  I don't have any regrets.  But looking back, I can see where I can improve.  I was 18 then- soon I'll be 20, and I am capable of being more now than I was then.

The book reads, "If we expect others to succeed, they probably will.  If we expect them to fail, they probably will.  People tend to live up, or down, to our expectations of them."  And- "People must believe that they are capable of solving the problem, of finding a new and better way.  Or they won't."

This helped me understand that even if I delegated things for people to accomplish, if I didn't trust that they were capable of accomplishing them, my teammates sensed that.  And my attitude brought them down.  From now on, I'm focusing on believing the best about people, and hopefully that will help them to do the best they can.

After all, when you think about the best leaders, weren't they all people who inspired and encouraged others? I do.

Peace out everybody, have a great week.
Rachel

National Support Ag Day, Cavemen, Salami, and Mavala STOP

I guess that's what day it is today...I didn't know that, although I guess I should have.  You're supposed to wear green...so when I found out I changed into a green FFA shirt.  And Levis and my brown cowboy boots.  Awesome.  So everybody think about where your food comes from.  Unless you live in a college dorm and eat manufactured plastic at the cafeteria like I do. :)

So let's talk about food for a second, while we're on the subject.  I read a really interesting article about the "caveman" or paleolithic diet.  Basically, you can only eat hunter-gatherer style, which means no processed foods, no dairy products, and no grains or legumes.  Is it healthier?  Some evidence says yes, but it's mostly unfounded.  Is it possible?  Not for me, I can't go without bread and pasta for very long, as a brief stint with the South Beach Diet proved.  Check out the article here.

If you can't go without carbs, try to go without salami, at least for a little while.  Daniele International is recalling 115,000 pounds of salami products because of a possible salmonella contamination.  Scary stuff.

Last for today- I have to start using Mavala STOP on my fingernails again.  I've been battling with a terrible habit (it's more of an addiction) of biting my nails, and I thought I had recovered, but I'm reverting.  So I'm going back to full-time use of Mavala STOP- you paint it on your fingernails and when they go anywhere near your mouth they taste so bad it makes you want to vomit.  Wish me luck.

Have a great week everybody!
Rachel