Lindsey McDonald

Ever since I joined FFA, there is one word I can use to describe my life: busy. It seemed as though there was always some new event or contest I could do, and I was not about to pass up an opportunity to do something with FFA. I will never regret any of the opportunities I’ve taken advantage of in FFA, but I will say it left me feeling overwhelmed at times, like I was struggling to keep my head above water. 

I would often miss class for trips and though I did a good job of keeping up with my schoolwork and communicating with my teachers, sometimes deadlines are still deadlines. Since beginning college, I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in so many new things, and with that comes finding a healthy balance. Oftentimes I have to prioritize things, which sometimes means missing out on one thing because another was higher on my list. 

Needless to say, there’s always a lot going on in my life, and I know I’m not the only one. Sometimes, it leaves me feeling stressed. But when I start to feel stressed, I think at what an amazing privilege it is to be stressed. I have opportunities set right in front of me not everyone else in the world has. And for that, I feel grateful. I’m blessed to stay busy, I’m blessed to build communities that care about me, and I’m blessed to have the good health to do it all. Sometimes we get so caught up in the blur of everyday life that we spend too much time stressing and forget to make time to focus on our blessings. 

Yes, I can.

I’ve always told myself to expect the worst possible outcome. Any time I would deliver a speech, submit an application or turn in a test, I always immediately told myself that I failed. Why did I do this, you might ask? Because I was scared of the disappointment that came with failure. If I set my expectations on the floor, there was no way for me to be disappointed. It didn’t matter if I knew the test material inside and out, or I gave the best speech of my life, I automatically failed in my head.

This made my wins seem a lot sweeter in my head. I had already decided that I couldn’t, so I had proved myself wrong on that front. I mean, sure, my losses didn’t sting as much…right? But it left me with a question sitting in the back of my head: “What if I had believed that I could?” If I had confidence in myself and went in with a positive mindset instead of constantly putting myself down, what more could I have accomplished?

Failure is a necessary part of life that helps us grow and learn. When we learn to embrace failure, we unlock all of the valuable knowledge that comes with it. Once we gain that knowledge, we can no longer count it a failure, because we’ve gained the experience and are better because of it. But let’s not forget, embracing failure does not equal expecting failure. Don’t tell yourself, “No, I can’t,” but “Yes, I can, and I will!”