For hours, the cursor stayed frozen in place, while the time for submission crept closer and closer. Blankly, I stared at the screen knowing I needed to fill the page with meaningful words as soon as possible — words that were able to create laughs and motivation, but yet the page remained empty and the cursor remained in place. 

Slowly, I lowered my head as a signal to the vacant page, I was admitting defeat. I needed an absolutely Earth shattering, mountain moving idea I could turn into a masterpiece. Yet, I had absolutely nothing. Eventually, I closed my computer and began to shift my focus somewhere else. Suddenly, I had it! The epiphany I was needing finally happened. 

Quickly, I hopped back onto my vacant document, filling it with the words I had so desperately needed. Within no time, my blog was completed, allowing me to realize something. All of the pressure I put on myself to create an “Earth shattering masterpiece”, had stopped me from creating anything at all. My own pressure had prevented my progress. 

Today, it is extremely difficult for all of us to not put pressure on ourselves. Whether it be to take a test, complete a writing assignment, compete in a sporting event, or perform in a competition, our own pressure can cause us to create obstacles. As we move forward, I encourage all of you to step back, take a break, take a breath, and let the ideas form their own.

As we began preparing for the  Missouri FFA State Convention, I found myself listening to old retiring addresses by state and national officers. As I sat on the couch in my dorm room, forcing my roommates to listen in on what a past national secretary had to say, these words resonated with me, “Whoever you are; be all you, all the time.” It was ironic in the moment; you see I was trying to get a handle on what a state officer should say as their final words to their state association. I was trying to figure out how I should sound, how I should speak, and what message I needed to convey. I was not being all me, I was trying to be the idea I had for state officers – I wanted to live up to the expectation. I will let you in on a little secret: I had been STRESSING over what my retiring address would be about and if I could present it to the members of Missouri FFA.  What I did not realize is that once you let go of certain expectations, you become free of the pressure that comes with them. As you embark on the many adventures that the FFA offers you, let go of the expectations, let things just be. It is easy to focus on the failure, or the shortcomings, but I promise that you will never be successful if you never get over the negative. I challenge each of you to learn from the mistake, adjust from the failure, and focus on the real win – growth. Whether you win your first speech contest or come up short in your last, the experience, the learning, the skill, the GROWTH is what will matter later in life. More times than not, I came up short while competing in the FFA. Each time, I tried to understand why I was not good enough to stand on the stage at state convention and receive a plaque, or why I could not grasp certain concepts in a career development event. It would have been so easy to throw in the towel and focus on the negative, but with each failure, I became more hungry for growth. Without the failure, I would not have gotten better. If you take one thing from this message, let it be this: you are the way that you are for a specific reason, never let a shortcoming dictate the future for you. Never be afraid to simply be yourself, that is when true growth and success occur. 

Legacy is a word that will be thrown around a lot over this next year as Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in the history of the National Football League, mulls over retirement or coming back to play another season. Regardless of how I personally feel about Brady, there is no doubt that he is a phenomenal player and will leave a lasting legacy on all of football.

    But legacy does not have to come from the greatest player of all time; legacy can come from our parents, our chapters, or even ourselves. A legacy can be very uplifting, a goal that is within reach because it has been done before. However, legacy can also mean an unconquerable pressure that presses down until we manage to reach our goal.

    For me, legacy was always something that weighed me down in FFA. My father was an FFA advisor, and my chapter has had a lot of success throughout the years, so the pressure of living up to those standards was present the second that I stepped into Animal Science 1 my freshman year. I tried not to let it affect me, but I still felt that if I did not do well that I was letting everyone down around me. It took until my junior year to realize that I do not have to live up to the same legacy as those around me. It is my choice what sort of impact I want to leave, not anybody else’s. Once I made that connection, I was able to let go of the weight of the legacy that I was holding on to so tightly. I decided to try new contests and found a love for them over what I had been doing. Finding what made me love FFA for myself and not for others made all of the difference in how I went forward through senior year and while running for a state office. Legacy is what you leave behind, not what others put upon you.

    If legacy is something that you struggle with, I encourage you to remember that finding what makes you happy and doing that will free you of that weight. Leaving a legacy for yourself is so much sweeter than doing something just because it is expected of you.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a proud product of the dairy farming industry. For the first 16 years of my life, I lived and breathed farming on my family’s third generation dairy. The long hours, the hardships, the irreplaceable memories and people, and the wisdom I received from the farm will forever be what shaped me into the woman I am today. The one thing I would say would be my most prized possession from the farm is the principles of working hard it instilled in me. 

To me, hard work is a mindset not just a word used to describe the tasks someone is doing. It is not just putting in the effort while it suits oneself, but rather continuing to work hard throughout the entire task in order to see it through. Sometimes when we are working, we get tired and we decide to slack off or pass the buck to someone else, leaving others to make up for our shortcomings. Finishing before the job is done because you are tired or it does not suit you anymore, is not working hard. It is taking the easy way out. 

We are already starting the most work-filled time of the year in FFA. There are applications to fill out, contests to practice for, banquets to plan, and projects to finish. All these projects can seem daunting, but I challenge you to have a “work hard” mindset. Do not quit when the job gets difficult, when you get tired, or when you feel like you cannot keep going. Finish strong in each task and make your dreams a reality. Conquer with a “work hard” mindset! As Dwayne Johnson once said, “Consistent hard work leads to success.” 

As I drag myself out of bed every weekday morning to the sound of my alarm going off at 5 a.m., I always ask myself why. Why do I do this to myself willingly? Why do I get out of my nice warm bed way before I have to? But then I remember why. I drag myself out of bed every morning to see the sunrise. That sunrise every morning is what makes me excited for the day ahead. 

I didn’t always have this philosophy to get out of bed every morning to see the sun come up. This practice has only come about very recently for me. The sunrise represents the one part of every day that I can fall in love with. The song by Hozier, ‘Someone New’ talks about how the singer goes through life and finds parts of people every day that he falls in love with. When I first listened to the lyrics of this song, I had no idea how it could possibly apply to my life. But the more I listened to it, the more I saw what the singer actually meant. Hozier is encouraging his listeners to find some part of every day that makes you fall in love with life. 

Finding something in your everyday life that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside can be the simplest way to keep yourself motivated and happy as you go through life. That may not be waking up early to see the sunrise for you like it is for me. It may be listening to your favorite song in your morning shower, having a miniature dance party with your friends in your room, or simply taking 10 minutes to yourself every day to do one thing that makes you happy. I encourage you to find one thing every day to make you fall in love with life all over again.

There is something about the sweet rhythm and sound of certain songs that can turn them into world famous pieces of art. It was 2010 when the simple words, “You can count on me like 1, 2, 3; I’ll be there”, became some of the most popular and well known lyrics in recent musical history. These lyrics, that I am sure many of us recognize right off the bat, are from the famous heart touching song Count On Me by Bruno Mars. 

Now, you might not imagine Chris Ebbesmeyer as a die hard Bruno Mars fan, and you would be correct. The truth of the matter is that when I heard this song for the first time I didn’t pay too much attention to the lyrics. I liked the rhythm and beat, but once I started to pay attention to what was being sung, I realized that this song truly teaches a lesson that we all need to learn in our lives. 

The simple words, “I’ll be there,” can help those who surround us in so many ways. When we tell someone that we will be there we are telling them that no matter what happens we will help them along the way. This sense of security gives them the confidence to go out and try new things, and it helps them not be worried by the possibility of failure. In my short time as a Missouri FFA State Officer I have seen FFA members from across the state be there for one another. I have seen members go above and beyond to cheer for their friends as they step out of their comfort zones. 

As strong individuals, it can be very hard for us to let others be there for us when we need it. I personally struggle with this quite often. This is why I believe that the most important line of the song is the line that says, “And I know when I need it; I can count on you like 4, 3, 2; you’ll be there”. These lyrics go beyond us helping others and actually reflect on what a true friendship needs; a balance of give and take. As Bruno Mars said, we will be there for our friends, but we must also trust that our friends will be there for us.

 Throughout our lives we will give so much to others, striving for perfection, but we must remember that it is okay to accept help from our peers. We will all be brought to a moment where we need to hold each other up. As leaders, we must remember to help those who need it, but most importantly, allow others to help us whenever we need it.