Colin McIntyre

I LOVE chocolate ice cream, so much so that when I go to the store, there is only one brand I eat. If they do not have that brand, I convince myself I did not want or need the ice cream in the first place. The last time this happened, I was sitting in Walmart telling myself I did not want the Blue Bell chocolate ice cream. I knew I wanted the ice cream, and I wanted it bad. But I told myself I didn’t. I talked myself out of it because, conveniently, it was not available. To me, the other options were simply not good enough. Although it might not be chocolate ice cream, I see this happening in my day-to-day life. I tell myself I do not want to do something even though I want to so badly. 

This comes to life for each of us in FFA. As young members, we tell  ourselves, “Oh, I do not want to get involved.” Using phrases like, “I don’t need it,”or, “It won’t have a use in my life,” or my personal favorite, “Well, I don’t want to be a farmer.” We tell ourselves these negative thoughts so that maybe, just maybe, we will convince ourselves into doing something we don’t want to do. I have done it a thousand times at the grocery store, telling myself, “I don’t even want chocolate ice cream.” Whether we are just starting out in the organization or continuing our FFA careers, we are fortunate enough to have the opportunities laid out in front of us. All the ice cream flavors of opportunity and all of the brands are at our fingertips, we just have to put them in our shopping carts. So next time you find yourself looking for the same brand and flavor of ice cream, challenge yourself to try something new. Who knows? You might discover your new favorite flavor.

In the 2022 Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike had 80-1 odds — a horse worth just $30,000, the horse who was informed at 8:45 that there were no scratches. Just minutes before the registration closed, a scratch gave Rich Strike a chance to run the race of his life. Rich Strike started on the worst side of the track and began 17 lengths behind the leaders. Against all odds, Rich Strike rose to the top, and then became the winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Not only did that horse work hard to win, but he also succeeded. From time to time in life, there have been moments when I’ve felt as if all odds were against me, whether that was trying to get out of bed, reading a book, or most recently taking a math test. As we go through our life there are going to be times when each one of us will feel as if everything is against us. 

Rich Strike might have had every odd against him, but there is no doubt that regardless of his rank on the track he worked his way to the winner’s circle. The task wasn’t easily accomplished; much hard work was required to achieve succeess. In FFA we might find ourselves working toward being the winner. Although our time in this organization is limited, if we work hard to achieve our goals then we will all have a fighting chance. Regardless of where we place ourselves on the track, we will have the opportunity to be the winner. Sometimes the opportunity might not arise until just minutes before the registration closes.