Final Essay

Here's a version of what I wrote yesterday...more polished and essay-like.  l promise this is my last post here.  Enjoy!

What I’ve Learned

A few days ago one of my cousins shared a Dashboard Confessional song with me.  The song, ridiculously titled “Carve Your Heart Out Yourself,” was as depressing as its title and I hated it, but for some reason one of the lines got stuck in my head for the next few days:

“Man, it takes a silly girl to lie about the dreams she had…man, it takes a lonely girl to wish that she had never dreamed at all.”

Every time that line went through my head, I couldn’t help but think about how it applied to my life. 

In the twelve months and over 450 hours I spent preparing to run for National Office, I learned so much.  I systematically went through my entire life and philosophy, discovering who I am and what I stand for.  I can now say that there is probably no job-interview-type question that I can’t answer with confidence.

I improved my public speaking skills, both prepared and extemporaneous, and I worked hard to become more effective in teaching students through facilitation.  I read countless books on leadership and made weekly and monthly goals for self-improvement. 

Finally, I learned everything there is to know about FFA, the agricultural education system, and current agricultural issues.  When the process for running for Nationals was over, I thought this knowledge was pretty useless...but even if I don’t ever apply this knowledge again in my life, it sure has helped me in the Orientation to Agricultural Education class!

I thought that all the learning I would experience would be in preparation to run for National Office, but I was wrong.  The most important thing I learned from the process- perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned thus far in my life- came after the convention.

Failing to become a National FFA Officer was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever experienced.  And experiencing disappointment is not something I’m used to.  I’ve always been of the opinion that hard work leads to results, and my hypothesis has never been proven incorrect until now. 

Now…I’ve learned how life can be unfair.  I’ve learned that I can work as hard as a possibly can, and perform as well as I possibly can, and still not get what I want.  And that’s a hard thing to deal with.

For a while after National Convention, I never wanted to talk about the results.  That might have been my silly way of lying about my dreams.  I was too disappointed to talk about the good that came out of National Convention, and I was afraid that the people I loved would be disappointed in me.

Disappointment has taught me perspective.  Although I am not happy with the results of Convention, there are people in this world who are in much worse situations than I am.   It has also taught me how to be adaptable.  I am naturally a very organized person who plans out her life a year in advance.  My plans for 2011 included serving as a National FFA Officer, but now, I have an entire year with nothing on my calendar.  I am excited to fill that calendar with new adventures and learn to be more spontaneous.

Before, during and after the National Convention, I discovered what a fantastic support system I have.  I am so grateful for the friends and family that supported me in my most difficult hours.

While I was preparing for the convention, I constantly reminded myself of why I was sacrificing so much for my dreams by reading this quote by Arnold Bennett: “The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braves himself for his one supreme effort- he never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature.”  I am glad that I had the opportunity to run for National Office.  It was something I was scared to do, and something that I wasn’t sure I could do-but I’m glad that I stretched myself to reach for dreams, even though those dreams weren’t fully realized.

What I learned from my experience was more than just facts and figures about agriculture and FFA.  I learned true leadership in being gracious in defeat and working to support those who are have been selected.  I learned empathy for people who have and will fail in life.  I learned perspective.  I learned the value of hard work, and I am learning how to overcome challenges.  I can't say I've learned that yet, because here I am, wondering what's next and trying not to feel like life as I knew it is now over.  I know that someday soon I'll look back on this period of life and think about how hard it was, and be grateful for the opportunity I had to learn all of this.  I'm not at that point yet, but I'm getting there slowly and surely.

I used to think that it would have been better to avoid this pain and wish that I had never applied for National Office.  But now, I am glad for the opportunity to learn.  And do I wish that I had never dreamed at all?  Definitely not. 

In a word, what I'm feeling now:

TIRED.

My goodness I'm so tired!I have so much to do in the next 12 days, it's ridiculous.  The list is scaring me:

• 2 workshops
• More practice interviews (a few questions a night)
• Finishing my thank you cards from the Minnesota training
• Refining my story arsenal
• More Hot Topic practice speeches with Jimmy
• Brushing up on ag issues
• Making talking point sheets for Round Robin interviews
• Meeting with Mrs. Parry again
• Getting my hair cut and colored
• ...and cramming in as much knowledge as possible in my head for the written test!

I haven't been this busy since my senior year in high school when I was a state officer.  I just feel like I have no time to breathe, and had to take a few minutes today to call some people and assure them that I don't hate them, I'm just ridiculously busy.  This is definitely a big push to the finish, but in three weeks it will all be over either way.  Either I'll continue to be this busy and on the run in my next big adventure for the next year, or...I'll have a few months to breath.

I don't know if I made the right decisions in my scheduling this semester.  I feel like the things that bring me stress relief- piano and improv- also make my life more stressful.  I don't know.  Last week I practiced piano for an hour and a half because it felt so good and so mind-numbing.  But today, I could only practice for twenty minutes because I just felt anxious.  I'm still working on that calmness thing.  It's also hard to know how much time I should spend working with the improv troupe, because I don't want it to take away from my National Office study, but I also don't want to abandon it and have to make up if I end up staying here.

If I do end up staying here...it will be a bit of a relief.  I want to be a National Officer, I really do.   I need a little time to breathe, to do laundry, to go grocery shopping, and heck, to just be a college student!  I want to stay up late and say "yes!" when my friends invite me to watch Sherlock Holmes and just be myself with a little less stress.  But I want to work hard now, so that even if I do come home, I'll feel like I've done everything I could have.

My goal for this month is to be more friendly and outgoing, so that I can portray that to the nominating committee.  So that means less time with the iPod in my ears and more time talking to anyone I recognize.  And in the past week, I've re-met two people I didn't even know were here at Utah State!

How am I going to get through the next 12 days?  I...don't know.  I have a lot to do!  But I love this quote I found on my friend Laura's facebook status:

"You cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind."

So off to work I go.  Actually- off to bed I go.  And in the morning...off to work.  Wish me luck!

-Rachel 

Training Weekend Day Dos

Hello again,
I'm on to reporting day two, before I forgot all that I learned!

Saturday began around eight and had one purpose: go through the entire selection process (minus the written multiple choice test) in one day.  And let me be the first to tell you- it was pretty grueling!  But now that I've done it all in one day, doing it in a week feels like a cinch!

So we started with the One-on-One Interviews: nine separate interviews, one after the other, five questions and ten minutes a piece.  An hour and a half of straight interviewing is pretty intense, guys! I think it did pretty well.  It's obvious doing just a brief look over my feedback that I need to work on the competencies of "teamwork," "team before self," and "adaptability and flexibility," as well as I'm sure, others.  And I just need to work on being myself, smiling, joking, and not burning out after 6 or 7 interviews.  Jessie (Geib) Vanderpoel, a former National Officer, told me to smile again and again.  She said that I looked like a National Officer when I smiled, which was awesome.  She also said she didn't believe that I did comedy improv...bummer!  I need to make sure that I am not too nervous and let my personality come out. I also need to work on compiling a good story arsenal and practicing my stories- a lot.

Next up-SAE writing.  I haven't gotten my results from this yet, so I'm really not sure how I did.  I felt good about what I did, but I'm not sure at all what the format was supposed to be.  But it was good to have an idea of what it would be like at Nationals.  I don't think SAE writing is worth many points anyhow.

I was pretty nervous for Stand and Deliver, but I feel that I did well!  The topic was program affiliation, given to Minnesota ag teachers, and I was psyched about that, since I'd just given a program affiliation speech to Jimmy and felt that I had done really well on it.  Thank goodness one of my strengths is command- I got the comment that I was a good speaker.  Awesome, I don't have to work so hard on that then!  But I still do need to work on smiling so that I don't look like an Ice Queen.  I need to be approachable and most of all, myself.  I also discovered that it's alright to end my speech early- at 4:30 or 4:40, rather than stretching it, which is great news, because that's where I usually end!  So I learned a lot but felt good about Stand and Deliver.

We had a quick break for lunch and then delved into the next section.  I started with the Writing Exercise.  I don't have my scores for this either, so I really don't know how I did.  I felt I wrote well, but I wasn't sure of the format and I also ended pretty early...so I don't know if I demonstrated my knowledge very well.  The prompt was also kind of a mixture of two hot topics, which threw me off.  So I'll have to wait and see my comments on that.

I had a short break to ponder how unprepared I felt for the next round, and then I entered a room to start my prep for faciliation.  This was one of my weakest rounds, but I'm glad I've had practice so that I am more comfortable now in what I need to spend my preparation hour on (hem hem, making better flip charts!)  The topic for the workshop was mentoring for chapter officers.  I started with a stupid puzzle piece activity.  It actually wasn't a bad activity, it made a good point, but it took me FOREVER to put the puzzle outline together, and then we couldn't find one of the pieces, which was frustrating and took up a lot of time.  The one thing I was really pleased with was my support activity, everyone seemed to really enjoy it.  My point needed work.  I was so concerned about finishing my workshop on time that I started telling students what I wanted them to know instead of asking questions, and I know I'm not supposed to do that!  Then I began introducing my application, "Mentor Man," which would have been awesome, and....they called time.  I could not believe it, I felt like I had to scrape my jaw off the floor.  I was really disappointed, but after the feedback I felt a little better.  Jessie said to have way more material than you need, and not to allow your content to get in the way of your interaction with the students, which is what they want to see!  So now I know how to change, and I have next week to test it out on Alpha Tau Alpha!

After facilitation came Round Robin Conversations.  Oh, how I hate you, Round Robin Conversations! They're so unreal, I don't like role-playing because it makes me feel fake, and oh yeah!  I don't know as much about agricultural issues as I would like to!  There are three conversations: Ag Issues, Ag Ed/American Ed Issues, and FFA Issues.  I did them in that order.  My Ag Issues conversation was decent, like a 4 or 5 out of 10.  I wasn't really happy with it, but I felt now that I had some experience with it I would do better.  My Ag Ed conversation on the other hand....a 0.  Or maybe a 1.  Guess who's doing some research on the Perkin's Technical Skills Attainment test today?  But my FFA Issues Conversation- dang!  Somehow that was a 9!  I spent my ten minute break in the hallway jumping up and down to try to stop being so nervous, and I think maybe it worked.  I felt awesome about that one.

Finally, we ended the day with the Personal Round.  This round is like the one-on-one round, but it's more...personal. They ask you the crazy, tear your heart strings type questions, such as, "Why are you running for office?" "Tell me about a time when someone questioned your character?" and "What are three of your life's goals?"  Also, it's you and all nine nominating committee members.  I can't really say anything about this round- I felt that it went fantastically well.  If I could do every round at Nationals like I did that last one, I feel like they'd have to elect me!

After the personal round we said goodbye and headed back to the Twin Cities for the night, to fly out the next morning.  I was so glad that I decided to go this camp- it really, really helped!  I feel 100 times more ready now than I was before, and I know precisely what I need to work on:

1. Being more personable in interviews- joking, laughing, smiling, being someone who is approachable.
2. Smiling during my speeches!
3. Ending strong on my speeches!
4. Knowing more (including statistics) about Agricultural Issues!
5. Directing the conversation during Round Robins
6. Focusing on students (rather than content) during facilitation and not worrying about the time.
7. Knowing more about agricultural education and American education.
8. Doing a better job of telling my stories in my one-on-one interviews.
9. Stressing teamwork and adaptability in my one-on-one interviews.
10. Being excited to tell the Nominating Committee about myself.

I'm so grateful to the volunteers who made this training weekend a success!  I'm also psyched, because Mr. Sawatzke said that his 40+ kids would be our cheering section if any of us were elected.  I told him that would more than double my cheering section. :)

I'm also really grateful that for the past week or so...I've felt so calm!  I feel like I could conquer the world, no anxiety for me!  I'm still nervous, I'll always be, but I know that I can do this.  Whether or not they elect me, I'm completely capable of being a National Officer.  Come what may, I'm ready.
Rachel

Back from the dead...

Why hello, blog-I-have-not-updated-in-almost-a-month.

My goodness how time flies.  I have been so busy with my new (and increasingly awesome!) internship at the Division of Agriculture.  I have been on the road and learning new skills along the way.  Like how to drive (I haven't had an anxiety attack over it since my first drive to Anchorage this summer!).  And how to check into hotel rooms.  And how to not make a huge mess when I stay in hotel rooms.  And how to deal with children, and tourists, and people from different cultures.  And I am having a great time, too!

But my job is almost over, just one more week of work and I'll be off to school again.  Then I'll finally have time to get down to business and study to the end.  Not that I haven't been studying all along- but now it's time to tie up the loose ends.  Make sure I'm all ready for the written test.  Prepare like crazy for the hot topics.  Maybe do some more facilitation.  Buy new Official Dress.  Get good make-up.  Go to the practice camp- do more interview questions, evaluate, work on them again.  I'm so nervous, but I'm really excited too.  I know I have a chance at this, I've worked really hard, and I hate to admit this out loud, in case it doesn't happen for me...but I really, really want this.

I haven't been slacking too bad though!  In my absense I:

• Finished and sent my application (which included a near-perfect letter of application- hurray!)
• Spoke and answered interview questions at the Farm Bureau meeting
• Helped coordinate and run kid's activities at Ag Appreciation Day
• Continued to read my newest book, Monday Morning Choices
• Got my American Degree! (which doesn't mean I did anything, technically... I filled out the application months ago.  But I checked the website and I am all set to receive it!)
• Spent a day on the Mat-Su Farm Tour
• Interviewed Alex Davis of AD Farms, (which is on Lazy Mountain, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my entire life.  Seriously took my breath away.) And,
• Continued to work on my goal for August, which is to "Cease Non-Excellence."  (Meaning, to stop doing things that are not totally excellent.  Like spending more than ten minutes doing nothing on Facebook.  Or watching more than the appropriate amount of Food Network shows at once.  Or sleeping without sheets on my bed.  I haven't done very well at this goal...but I'm working on it.)

Speaking of goals, only 2 more until I'm (hopefully) a National Officer! Ah!  I'm getting overwhelmed thinking about it.  I think I'll go up to my hotel room (I'm in Kenai now) and get settled in for the night.

Have a fantastic weekend.  I'll probably write again once I'm settled in Logan again!
Rachel

Gonna Be a Late Night

Hello blogger friends,
Today, again, I've been working on my letter of application.  I wanted to work on my resume too, but I never got that far.  Where did all the time go?

Well first off, I wrote a new copy, which took an hour, and then I got really nervous.  Anxious.  Uncomfortable.  I don't know what it was, it was just straight up no fun.  Also I was hungry, so I helped make dinner by shelling peas and listening to history podcasts to try to calm myself down.

Things I need to remind myself:
I am a good writer.  I have been working on this letter of application since November.  It will all turn out okay.  I will remember the speech I'm giving tomorrow because I gave the same one six days ago.  I'm cool, confident, collected- at least on the outside.

Version 8, you're toast.  Version 9, here we go.  At least for an hour and fifteen minutes, because I do have to get up for work in the morning.  And I think Version 10 is the one.  It's gotta be, right?  I mean, what more perfect number than 10?

Best of luck to you in your endeavors, I sure need it in mine,
Love, Rachel

The Wonder of People

I was hoping that I would have a video of the speech I gave to the rotary today to put in this post. After all, I thought, this will be the third time I give it and it should be the best.

Well, I wouldn't say it was the best.  And I forgot the camera.  Not at home, but at work.  Bummer, because I would really have liked to review it to see if I was talking as fast as I thought I was, among other things.

But that's all I'm going to say about the speech- it went well but it certainly could have gone better.  I don't blame myself for that- given all that was going on yesterday I didn't have much time to go over it and I hadn't given it in over a month.

Somehow though, I learned so much from going to that Rotary meeting, and even though life has been rough lately, I walked out feeling like I had the world on a string.  So here's what happened:

I went into the building just before the meeting started, and as usual went through the awkward before-people-get-their-meal part of the meeting when everyone is connecting with old friends and I am obviously an outsider.  That didn't last long however, as soon as I got my food and sat down, John Klapperich came up to me.

I don't know if this man has ever met me.  He acted like we'd been friends for years, but that could be just his personality.  Anyway, he comes over and introduces himself and says things like, "Rachel!  Superstar Rachel! Can I please sit next to you?"  So I promised him I'd save him a seat, and he went to get his food.  When he came back he talked to me about myself.  But it didn't end there.  One by one, Mr. Klapperich connected with every person at the table.  It was like watching a video of the leadership books I've been reading- Mr. Klapperich totally follows the thirty-second rule (Maxwell writes whenever you meet someone you should say something nice about them within the first 30 seconds of your conversation).  Literally, the dialog went like this:

 "Rachel, I am so excited you're here, I've been looking forward to hearing you speak today."

"Linda, at work I was reading about charity events, and I noticed your business was a sponsor for almost all of them.  Your name was everywhere and I thought, 'she really is a good person.' "

"Mike, over here, sit by me!  I know you have to eat quickly to start the meeting, can I pour your water?"

And on and on he went, addressing each person at our table.  I had been feeling a little nervous earlier, but he made me feel completely comfortable, and I thought, What a nice guy.

It didn't end there though.  At Wasilla Rotary they have an "inspirational moment," which I think is kind of like a seminary devotional of sorts.  The gentlemen who gave it was named David, and he's actually the guy that helped line me up to speak at the Wasilla Rotary in the first place.  I wish now I knew his last name...I think it's Johnson.

So David gets up and says that the people in Rotary are his inspiration, and then begins naming a few names of people and why they inspire him.  I thought he'd pick out a few of the well-known members...but he didn't do that at all.  He went through every table and named every member and guest by first name, then added why they inspired him. Every person in the room.  I was floored.

While announcements were going on and before my speech, Mr. Klapperich handed me 15 out of the 20 split the pot tickets he had purchased.  I didn't know what to say.  Then he silently filled up my empty water glass.

The time of the meeting came around for me to give my speech, and it was a little rough.  But by the crowd's reaction, you would have thought I had just solved the world's hunger crisis.  As soon as I finished, Mr. Klapperich all but yelled, "She's got my vote!"

I sat down and they did the drawing for the split the pot, and none of my fifteen tickets were chosen.  No sooner were the winning numbers announced than I heard a woman I've never met say, "I'm donating it to the Rachel Kenley Campaign Fund."

Just so there's no confusion- I definitely do not have a campaign fund.  And I tried to refuse the money, but of course she wouldn't let me.  So I'm very grateful to this woman (whose name I never got) for her $40 contribution to success.  It will pay for 40% of my tuition for a training weekend I'm going to attend.

After the split the pot came Happy Bucks. If you've never been to a Rotary meeting, Happy Bucks is the section of the meeting where people can express something that makes them happy and donate money to the club.  Almost everyone who stood up donated a happy buck because of my mediocre speech.  Their comments were so uplifting and encouraging.  Here are a few of my favorites (paraphrased, because I don't have an impeccable memory):

"Rachel, your speech inspired me and I can't wait to see where you are in ten years.  I hope you'll come back and share with us the rest of your adventure."

"I so enjoyed Rachel's speech, and she reminded me that as I'm starting a new business, the challenges will make it successful, because we learn by making mistakes."

"For two years of my life I lived in Enterprise, Alabama, and I know the story of the monument to the boll weevil.  I loved the way you included it in your speech."

"My father was a cotton and a soybean farmer in the south, so I understand how hard the transition was.  Thank you for the speech.  You are a truly beautiful speaker and I wish you the best of luck."

And this last one was great- no offense to the other candidates of course:
"I say, those other 51 candidates should be scared."

I have never received so much praise concentrated on me at one time in my life.  I wanted to cry out, "Stop, stop, my head will inflate and explode!"  But honestly, it felt so good.  I felt like these random strangers really believed in me- so I could believe in myself.  They showed me so much kindness.

After the meeting was over, Mr. Klapperich asked me how he could help me, and offered to do an interview with me on his radio station.  Then he asked me more about the selection process, and finally asked me a two-fold question:  "Why do you want to be a National Officer?  What skills do you have that would make you successful in this position?"

My stomach flipped over as I thought, this is it.  This is the question, the 'why are you running for National Office question!  And I said, "I think I would be a great National Officer because I have good communication skills.  I've always been able to talk to people easily and I want to use that skill to connect with other members.  And I want to be a National Officer because I feel like I have been blessed by so many National Officers in my own life.  They have inspired me and helped me to become the person I am today.  And I feel that since I have the skills and opportunity to become a National Officer, I have a responsibility to turn around and be a role model- to do for younger FFA members what was done for me."

Then Mr. Klapperich said, "Kid, I'll see you at the top, and I mean the top!"

Even though my speech wasn't flawless today, I walked out of that meeting feeling, well, like John C. Maxwell puts it, like a million bucks.  The members of that Rotary club made me feel like a million bucks.  And they reminded me why I'm putting all this time into studying- it's not to know every fact about FFA history, or to be able to memorize a perfect and polished speech- it's to connect with others and to serve them.

So thanks, Wasilla Rotary, for being living examples of who I want to be.  You made my day fantastic.
Rachel

Thoughts of the Day

There are so many, flitting around my head like hummingbirds.  I don't feel like organizing them, it would take all the fun out it, wouldn't it?  So here are some randomized bullet points:

• I woke up this morning sending all my hatred to the digitized alarm clock screen projecting the numbers 6, 0, 0.  Then I thought of this quote (which, by the way, I can't believe I didn't post here earlier, because it is probably my absolute favorite): "You can often gauge a man's ambition on whether he hates his alarm clock or considers it his best friend." -Thomas Edison.  I love you, alarm clock.
• I've thought a lot today about reaching my goals versus reaching my potential.  Expect a detailed blog posting on this subject at a later date.  Also: religion, and what role does it play in my quest?
• I can't help thinking there's a reason why Max DePree's concept of "intimacy" didn't catch on in other leadership texts (and yes, it's obvious).
• A thought inspired by my readings today: Do I examine what will be important tomorrow and not just what matters today?

• Some wisdom ala Max DePree: "Three of the key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential."

• During lunch today, after reading a short story about a light bulb, a fully formed speech idea came to mind, complete with three stories, a little anecdote, and a quote.  I felt like a genius- and just in time to try something new for speaking to the Palmer LIONS club next week!  In case I haven't posted it here, this is the quote, and it's pasted to the inside cover of my trusted Franklin Covey: "Don't run through life so fast that you forget where you've been and lose where you're going.  Life is not a race but a journey to be savored every step of the way."  -Kobi Yamada

• I gained copious (how's that for a Word of the Day?) amounts of knowledge today.  I think I now have a good handle on the government's involvement (or lack thereof) in the Alaska FFA, and I definitely understand organics and chemicals much better- thanks Mark Rempel!

• I've discovered "The Moth" podcast recently and I love it.  It's not studying (that I count for hours, anyway) but I think it helps me get in the mode of story telling.
• I got a call as I was leaving work from the president of Wasilla Rotary about speaking there on Wednesday (yeah, this Wednesday, the day after tomorrow).  I hope I'll have this new speech ready by then, although I may not.
• I'd much rather write a new speech than work on my letter of application...which is probably more important,

• I talked myself out of a bad mood today!  I was frustrated driving home because of some mistakes I'd made on a newsletter I produced at work, and I was worried that someone didn't like me, and I was worried about being there for a  friend...and all of this together was getting me all worked up.  So I explained to myself (yes out loud, you don't do that?) that it didn't matter if someone didn't like me, that everyone makes mistakes and that's how I learn, and that I was doing everything I could do and that I was doing my best.  Then I ran a mile, and that helped too.  But seriously, ME=master of my emotions.  At least recently.  At least today.

So now you have an idea what it feels like to be inside my head for a day.  It's pretty crazy in there. :)

Have a great night,

Rachel

Dreams

Yesterday, I got to pick a sticker to put on my magnet for the sign in board at work (yeah, I know- so legit!)  I chose a green sticker that said, "Dare to Dream."  I thought it was fitting.

In this post, I want to give a shout out to my cousin Kim.  This girl has a fabulous singing voice- one that I admittedly have always been jealous of.  This August, she's following her dream, in the form of flying to California to audition for American Idol.

It would be lying if I didn't say that when I heard this, I thought automatically about the vast number of people who audition for the show and how many get turned down while only a few make it to the finals.  Then I realized what a dumb thought that was!  Whether or not this works out for Kim, I think it's awesome that she's doing it, it's an adventure and in many ways, she's doing it for the same reasons I'm running for National Office.  And I wish her the best of luck.

I'm sure Kim will do well at American Idol auditions- and in life- because she's so optimistic and a total go-getter.  Here's a good description of her: this is her Info Box quote on Facebook (courtesy of Dr. Suess):

"I've heard there are troubles
Of more then one kind.
Some come from ahead
Some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat,
I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have 

troubles with me."

So I've been thinking a lot about Kim going after her dreams, and it's really affirmed in my mind the reasons I'm running for National Office.  Chasing away doubts has always been a struggle for me, I'm cynical, skeptical, and pessimistic..so I need constant reminding.  In my Rotary Speech in Anchorage, I spoke about challenges and how one of my personal heroes, William Wilberforce, overcame his. If you are unfamiliar with William Wilberforce, he was mainly responsible for abolishing the slave trade in Britain the early 1800s.  Here's an excerpt from my speech:

"When I think of Wilberforce’s life and the struggles he went through to achieve his goals, I am reminded of a poem by C.W. Longenecker:

'If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.'

I know this poem wasn’t written when Wilberforce was alive, but I’m relatively certain that Wilberforce lived his life in accordance to a similar creed. After all, who was he to change the world?

He was challenging a system that had been in place for over one hundred years, and a system upon which the finances of Britain rested almost entirely. He had no qualifications- he was young, small, sickly, and hadn’t even done well in school. He was also a devout Methodist during a time when religious devotion was looked upon as a social transgression. Yet Wilberforce didn’t allow his circumstances to stop him from achieving the impossible. The secret to his success lies in his tireless tenacity and his unwavering positive attitude."

Thanks again, William Wilberforce and Kim, for reminding me to follow my dreams.  You guys are awesome.
-Rachel

PS: Yes, I do realize William Wilberforce is dead and will not be receiving my thankfulness.  It's okay. :)

Awesome Numbers

Hey everybody!
Let's just get to it, shall we?  This week had a lot of cool numbers in it!

I look fantastic in Official Dress. :)

My speech at the South Anchorage Rotary went well on Thursday- at least I feel like it did.  There were about 70 people there, which made me nervous, but I got a standing ovation and a woman tried to offer me her son's hand in marriage...so I'd say those are good indicators of success. :)  But I felt really good about it as well.  I just watched the recording of it yesterday, and I was pleased.  I added some new material but didn't forget any of it, and I included only four U-Ms.  (that's a word I'm not allowed to say anymore.  I owe Rayne ten cents every time I do, so far we're up to $1.20.)  I've enlisted my mom to listen to it and give me harsher criticism as well.  I know I need to work on using the stage better and  on answering questions s-l-o-w-l-y.  But overall I think it went really well.  I got a business card from a woman who is the president of Toast Masters in Anchorage, so I think I'll try to get into Anchorage and check them out one of these days.

And thanks to that speech, and the other studying I've been doing (of course) I did another 50 hours in just three weeks!  That's 250 in all!  And that's half way to my goal of 500!  Hip hip hooray for me!

As for today, I took the day off of work and am having a study marathon.  I just spent a good chunk of time calling people to schedule speaking opportunities.  That is really hard for me, I'm discovering I'm not a very good self-promoter.  Anyone reading this though, seriously- I'm looking for places to give speeches!  And to give workshops especially.  So if you know of any, call me at 907-355-1685 and let me know.  You'd be my hero.

And one last, totally fantastic, really big number: 520,000.  That's the number that the National FFA estimates will be exceeded by the 2009-2010 membership tally (which doesn't officially end until August 31st)...and it's an all-time membership high!  This number  marks an increase of over 10,000 members since the last record, which was set in 1977.  I'm totally thrilled about this, guys, can you tell?  You can read the official press release here, if you're interested.

Have an awesome Wednesday, and I'll be here, still studying. :)
Rachel

Rollin' Along

Hey guys,
Tomorrow I'm speaking at the South Anchorage Rotary, and I'm really excited about it.  I was able to take apart my last speech with Rayne's help and improve on the areas I was weak on last time.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, on Sunday, I had to give a talk at church.  I won't go too into detail, because this is not a religion blog, but it was a good experience to do some more public speaking in a totally different arena.  And I also talked a lot about learning to love others, which I mentioned before was my goal for June, so that helped me out a lot.  I used this quote (that I also used in my retiring address) by Stephen R. Covey that I absolutely love and thought I'd share with you:

“Love is something you do: the giving of self, the sacrifices you make, even for people who offend or do not love in return.  Love is a value that is actualized through loving actions.”

As for studying, things are going well.  My American Degree is done and in the mail- woot!  I also am getting a little better at interview questions with each meeting with Rayne, but I still have a ways to go.  I just ordered 6 new leadership books on Amazon.com.  I officially love that site for cheap books!  We'll see how I like them.  I'm just tearing through them reading a half-hour per day, and I finished the ones I had- so my study routine feels a little off-balance as I usually start by reading.  I only have 4 left on the Recommended Reading List from nationals, so I got a few that past national officer candidates recommended.  Anyone have any ideas for great autobiographies or biographies to read too?  I want to have plenty of leadership examples for answering interview questions.


Whew, where has the time gone?  I've got to run do some babysitting tonight, but I promise to blog some more soon.  In facilitation terms, here's a preview of what I'll be blogging about soon:

Three words that describe ME

How my LIFE is like a GIANT CABBAGE

What I see THROUGH MY WINDOW

Stay tuned...

Rachel

Did you miss me?

Yeah, sure you did.  Sorry for the long break in blogging.  I can explain why with just two words:

200 hours!

Thanks to some awesome hours racked up last week, I am well on my way to my goal and I am pumped.  I've been really busy, last week I spent most of my waking moments writing, editing, and memorizing a speech for the Rotary club, and then about 20 minutes giving it, of course.

Then on Friday Rayne and I had an all day study jam.  It was awesome, we talked about a lot of stuff, watched and critiqued the video of my speech, and then spent about four hours exploring and learning about Spring Creek Farm, which is this huge hog operation only a few miles down the road from my house!  And they had steers, bison, yak, and even an elk.  It was great.  Rayne took like 300 pictures (literally) so I'll get a few up here soon.  I had a great time.  Who knew preparation could be so fun?

The fun is good, it balances the feeling of being overwhelmed.  Like the feeling I have about filling out my American Degree application- it's so huge and confusing!  I have to keep reminding myself that it's worth it though, because my American Degree is separate from running for National Office- it's something that I'm going to achieve for sure!  So no matter what happens running for National Office, I'll leave this convention with a key on my chain, and that's an awesome accomplishment in and of itself.

For some reason, I thought the hot topics for my speech, writing assignment, and facilitation round weren't going to be released until August 1st- but I just found that they're up already!  How awesome is that?  Seriously awesome, I'd say.

So, today's the first day of June, and I need a new goal.  I'm sure that there are a million things I need to work on, but I can't think of anything right now...suggestions?  Rayne reminded me the other day that I shouldn't be preparing to run but preparing to be.  So what's a good quality for a National Officer to have that I can focus on developing for a month?  Let me know if you have any spectacular ideas.

One more thing- check out what came in the mail the other day....

I'm stoked. :)

My head is swimming...

What a day!  I woke up and starting helping my mom set up for her plant sale.  After we finished setting up, I went to ask my Grandpy what he was tinkering with and ended up talking to him for an hour and learning all about his dairy farm, how he cultivated the land, how a creek used to run through where the barn is now, and how his barn caught fire!  I learned so much about my ag background, and there's still so much to learn.  I came away with two realizations:
1) My Grandpy is a mechanical genius, and 2) I should have learned all this long ago!

The awesome didn't stop there though!  I came in for lunch, checked my e-mail and saw that Angela Mayfield commented on my last post- seriously, the comment is there, check it out!  I was so excited!

I just finished up a long and extensive meeting with Rayne where we really nailed down what I'm going to talk about at the Rotary meeting on Thursday.  Now I just have to write my speech.  And I put together my to-do list for next week.

It's incredible how draining those meetings can be.  I don't know why, but afterwards my head is just swimming with new ideas, so I want to get started on a new project and take a nap all at the same time.  This week should be a good one.  I've been getting overwhelmed with everything I have to do this summer, but hopefully my new organization system will help.

Tomorrow I'm running a 5k.  I have never done this before.  Wish me luck, I will need it!


I'm realizing this post is very boring.  I'm sorry. But check out what's not boring: the word tantalize!  I'm doing Word of the Days again, so this one is for today.  It's a verb that means to excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach, as in: The cookies displayed in the cookie jar were tantalizing to Keith.


I don't think Keith reads this blog- so he can't be offended. :)
Mom, Natalie, and I might go see a movie tonight.  You should too, it's a Friday!  Have fun this weekend!
Rachel

Changes in leadership and last names

I saw some big news on the FFA website today.  I feel both happy and sad.

First: Dr. Larry Case is retiring in January.

Dr. Case has been the FFA advisor for 26 years- longer than I have been alive.  He is an icon for FFA members, he's the Big Owl!  I've never, ever thought about him retiring.

Here's the press release, if you're interested. 

Dr. Case was my first FFA idol.  I remember traveling to SPC with Taylor in July of 2008.  As we rode our taxi to the hotel at 2 AM, we started wondering if anyone would be awake to welcome us.  Jokingly, I said, "Oh, I'm sure all the National Officers will be waiting in the lobby, and Dr. Case will give us a huge hug."  Then we laughed, and Taylor said, "Unlikely...but that would be awesome!"

We were not greeted by Larry Case in the lobby at 2 AM, but the next day he joined us for the opening session.  I was astonished!  This is a man whose name I memorized my sophomore year for the FFA info test.  This is a man who knows more about agricultural education than most people would learn in two lifetimes.  He is a legend.  I so enjoyed getting to know him, even if it was just a little bit.

The wise old owl himself, and me.  He told me when I showed this picture to anyone to also add the disclaimer that he had been flying all day and he wasn't as young as he used to be and so you have to forgive him for his disheveled appearance.  I think he looks fine.  Much better than I do when I fly (remember?)

State Officers listen earnestly to Dr. Case

Dr. Case's awesome cardboard cut-outs

[I know you're supposed to grow out of being excited to meet prominent FFA members and leaders.  So I try to act like I don't get chills when I see a National Officer's jacket, even though I do.  And I tried to control my excitement when I met Dr. Case.  Unfortunately, I couldn't quite keep my composure when I got to meet the former FFA Executive Secretary, C. Coleman Harris.  When he tried to introduce himself, I just blurted out, "Sir, I know who you are!"  Luckily, that doesn't happen with Dr. Steve Brown.  He just always talks about eating moose stew at my house with my parents. We're tight. :) ]

I'm sad that Dr. Case is leaving us, but I'm sure his replacement will do a fantastic job.  I'm looking forward to finding out who it will be!

Second: Angela Mayfield is one of the keynote speakers at the 2010 National Convention

I did a little research when I saw a picture of this woman, and felt like I recognized her.  Sure enough, Angela Mayfield served as the 2000-2001 National Western Region Vice President- only back then her name was Angela Browning.  Now, Angela Browning is not an FFA celebrity that I have met personally, but I feel like I know her because she taught me how to speak in public.  

At my very first State Officer training event, Blast-Off, in May 2008, our trainer Marlene showed us the video of Angela Browning's retiring address.  I'm not sure if that is the approved speech that all Blast-Off trainers are supposed to show, but that's the one Marlene showed us.  I watched the whole thing in complete awe, inspired and impressed.  When the video was over, Marlene said, "What if I told you that you could give a speech just as good as Angela's?" Then she taught us the "magic formula" and the rest, as they say, is history.

I also got my favorite quote from that speech, "Until you stop comparing, you will never grow."  I even used that quote in my speech at graduation.

I'm looking forward to seeing Angela speak again, this time in person.  You can see her fantastic retiring address on youtube in two parts: here, and here.

Speaking of speaking...I've got some good ideas for the Rotary speech, but I need to start writing them down and organizing them.  Have a great evening!

Rachel

Looking for Speaking and Facilitation Opportunities

Looking for a speaker this summer?  A workshop?  Some awesome times?
If your answer is no, think again.  Harder.

How about Chapter Banquets?

Club Meetings?

Chapter Officer/Member Retreats?

Youth Camps?

Conferences?

Political Events?

Agricultural Events?

4-H Events?

Leadership Training of any kind?   

I'm really excited to be coming home to Alaska.  I've been studying as well as I can while I've been here at school- reading and watching speaking techniques.  But nothing can replace actual experience.  Once I get home, I hope to be speaking and facilitating all that I possibly can.

And that's where I need your help!  If you have any event that could possibly benefit from a speech or workshop, leave a comment or contact me.  You'd be doing me a huge, HUGE favor and hopefully, I'll do an awesome job and your event will be better for it.

Pretty please?

Josh Sundquist

Hey guys,
As promised, here is my post about Josh Sundquist's speech at the '09 Convention.

If you've never heard of Josh Sundquist, (like me!) Google him.  He's a Paralympic Skier, motivational speaker, and author.  Minus the skiing, that is my dream job.  One word that describes his speech: wow.

Funny story to go along with this though.  As usual the quality of the speech video was crappy, so I turned it on to listen to while I cleaned my room.  It was because of that I missed a very crucial point to the speech: Josh Sundquist only has one leg.  You can imagine my confusion when he talks about what is visually apparent to the audience.  Good thing I watched it the second time, there was a lot of physical comedy that I missed out on.

Man I want to talk about this speech but I don't feel like I can do it justice!  First of all, Josh was really, really funny.  He has some experience with stand up comedy from what I understand, and it definitely shows.  I think that being funny is important if you're going to speak to high school age kids.  But I do have to admit, after a while I was like, "Is this guy just a comedian?  When is he gonna tell me something 'inspirational'?"

Toward the end of the speech though, after he's told all his hilarious stories about living with only one leg, he ties them all together and talks about how to deal with hard things in life.  He tells the story of how he lost his leg, and even when I was just listening to the speech the first time around, the emotion in his voice was SO powerful.  I was surprised how quickly the speech had gone from roll on the ground laughing to so serious and almost made me want to cry.  The story and the delivery was so powerful, and I just thought, "I want to give a speech like this!"

I also listened to Josh's commentary on the speech, which had a lot of good insights on how he plans and delivers his speeches.  When it got to the serious story, Josh said that he always saves it to the end because he feels that you have to earn the right to be serious.  By that, he means you have to connect with the youth by being funny first, so that they trust you, and they don't turn up their noses at your more serious points.  That's something I think I could work on.

Ah!  I want to write so much more about this speech, but I just cannot do it justice.  Please, please, please watch it so that you'll understand.  It's great (and good quality at this link).

Have a great week everyone!
Rachel

PS- Hannah Harrison suggested I read biographies and autobiographies of people I admire...so Josh's book, "Just Don't Fall" is on my list.

Talking About Faith

Hey guys,
I already posted a long one today, so I'll wait to blog about the Josh Sundquist speech I just watched until later. I think I want to watch it again first anyway.

But just for the heck of it, here's a video he posted on his blog about the dos and don'ts of including faith in a secular speech.  I thought it was really interesting.  Like a lot of people, I'm sure, I've heard a lot of keynotes and retiring addresses that mention faith- and some are good and some are awful.  I thought it was cool he addressed it.

Check it out here.

What do you think?
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

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

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!