In today’s society, there is a constant pressure to “fit in” and be “normal.” Well, let me give ya’ll a reality check: normal is out and being UNIQUELY YOU is oh so in! This is your time to invest in yourself and be confidently you. You may be asking yourself, “What does being uniquely you have to do with FFA?” For starters, the Northwest District theme this year is “Now or Never”, meaning that there’s no better time than now to start being true to yourself. Most importantly, being uniquely you relates to any passion or interest you hold near and dear to your heart that might be held back by the haters. We like to fit in and programs that may not seem “cool” may suffer because of it.
Think about where you are in your life right now. Are you doing what makes you happy or others happy? I always used to struggle with doing what I knew my parents or my peers wanted me to do rather than what I wanted to do. It made me miserable. While I enjoyed the activities I was part of, my whole heart just wasn’t in it. Agriculture has always been a big part of my life and choosing to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps of becoming an agricultural educator was my decision. No one else had any say, and that is how it should be.
Unique by definition is being the only one of its kind; remarkable, special or unusual. I have embraced this definition and used it as almost a life motto. If I had continued on the path of being “normal” and continued to try to fit in with my peers I would not be where I am today. For example, back in high school I knew that I was going to have to decided between all of the activities I was participating in and that a job in agriculture was for me but people around me had other ideas. During my sophomore year of high school, around the time that we were picking our schedules, I decided that while I loved being apart of the school band I wanted to be able to take another class and focus more on my studies. So when it came time to make my schedule I didn’t sign up for band. Fast forward a few months to the start of my junior year - I get my schedule and come to find that 1. I had been signed up for band and 2. My agriculture class wasn’t on my schedule. I was rather confused and went to our school counselor in order to sort things out. After her and I started talking I found out how my schedule got “messed up.” You see, my school counselor didn’t want me to quiet band so she put it in my schedule and it took a lot of convincing in order for me to remove it from my schedule. One simple decision that I should of been able to make on my own no questions asked became a rather big ordeal which isn’t fair. Your life is a collection of decisions that should be made by you; the unique you that you are. In the words of T. Harv Eker, “One step in the right direction is worth a hundred years of thinking about it”.
Now think about what you have done to get where you are today and what it will take to get where you want to go. To achieve your dreams and truly be happy, you have to embrace the fact that you are not like anyone else. You are uniquely you and just know that being unique is always better than being normal or “perfect”.
This is your time, to do what makes you happy, to do what you want to do. Whether it's working to make a difference, joining a new club or activity, working to make an impact in your chapters, in your communities, or in the lives of the many people you will meet through FFA or just throughout your life. Don't let opportunities pass by because you will never know what could have become of them. You will never know if you enjoy something or how happy something, anything could truly make you unless you give it a shot. Who cares if none of your friends are into it. If it makes you happy and sparks any interest in you. GO FOR IT!
It’s “Now or Never”, so go out, step outside of your comfort zone, and do what makes you truly happy because sometimes there is no next time, no timeouts, and no second chances.
Carli Grau
Northwest State Vice President
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