Andi Belt

I can say without a moment’s doubt that I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without the support of  “my people” along the way. Growing up with four little brothers and countless little cousins, I was never short of cheerleaders at any of my events. Whether it was a basketball game, FFA banquet, softball tournament or sheep show, I could always count on my family being there to celebrate my successes and soften the blow of tough losses. When I got to high school, my village only grew. My teammates, chapter officer team and countless new FFA friends soon became part of my family. Some of the biggest ways they “showed up” for me was through the smallest gestures. When I headed to state officer interviews, my parents, little brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles prepared a basket filled with my favorite things – handwritten notes of encouragement, bible verses and, of course, V8 energy drinks. When I graduated high school, my FFA friends from all over the state drove to the middle-of-nowhere Shelby County to celebrate with hugs and laughter. On my 18th birthday, my 15 new best friends threw the sweetest “mini party” at state officer training. All of these moments truly remind me of how lucky I am. The way they continue to show up for me, be there to celebrate every small success and never stop reminding me how loved I am – that is truly what has made me who I am today. All of us have “our people”. Those who’ve been there for us when we need it most. While it’s easy to think about the difference they’ve made, often we forget to show them how grateful we are. My challenge for all of us as we head into this next season of life is to show our love and appreciation for those who have loved, celebrated and supported us along the way!

I can safely say I have always held myself to huge standards and high expectations. The bar has always been set incredibly high, and I strived to meet those goals.  Naturally, my competitive nature pushed me to be a perfectionist, and a little scared of failure. You can imagine my uneasiness about trying the Ag Mechanics contest my senior year. Not only was it an extremely challenging contest, but I also didn’t know the first thing about tractor parts, was known for welding my tip shut, and had never heard of sweating copper.

The first few practice contests left me feeling like a complete failure. I somehow managed to burn my hand holding copper tubing and shock myself on a circuit. Knowing that giving up wasn’t an option in my mind, I reached out to my advisors and teammates for extra help. As I began to put more effort and time into it, by the end I began to see a lot of growth in myself. At the final practice contest of the year, the same girl who burned and shocked herself, placed high individual overall. 

I’m still not an Ag Mech pro, but what I did learn is how silly trying to be perfect is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a very competitive person – and that’s okay, but we can’t let our competitiveness ruin the experiences, take the fun out of the process, and make perfection our end goal. As long as you’re challenging yourself, trying new things, and learning along the way – then that’s a win in my book. Being the best possible version of yourself is way more important than being the perfect version!