Go For the Gold
Every two years, I look forward to watching the Olympics. This year has been no different! I have truly enjoyed watching the incredible performances of athletes like Katie Ledecky, Lilly King, Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps. Whether it was watching Michael Phelps win his 21st gold medal or watching Team USA take home the gold in women’s gymnastics, I have been in awe of the dedication that these athletes exhibit. While watching the Olympics this year, I had a realization. Although winning a gold medal in the Olympics is not in my future, there is something that I can take away from these Olympic games: to go for the gold in every aspect of life.
Every single day, we get the chance to “go for the gold.” We have the opportunity to focus on our priorities, and being our best selves. Now, I will be the first to admit that I find myself spending too much time on Netflix and not enough time focused on my priorities. But what is the cost of this action? In January 2016, Netflix announced that its users spent more than 42.5 billion hours watching Netflix in 2015. How different would our world be if each of us devoted just half of the time we spend watching Netflix to striving for success? That would be 21.25 billion hours spent developing future leaders with the skills necessary to be able to change the world!
As the school year begins, I challenge you to join me in refocusing on priorities. Let’s be clear: I am not saying that we shouldn’t take time to relax. And I’m not saying that we shouldn’t watch Netflix. What I am saying is this: At the end of our lives, what do we want to have accomplished? How can our daily actions help us reach that point in the future?
As FFA members, we have many opportunities to take actions to “go for the gold.” This could mean spending extra time preparing for an upcoming Career Development Event, dedicating yourself to improving your Supervised Agricultural Experience, or running for an office. The opportunities to go above and beyond in agriculture education are endless – unlike the amount of time we have as FFA members. Michael Phelps once stated: “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” Let’s “go for the gold” this year, and see just how far we can get in our time as FFA members!