Jan 31

Jan 31 Showing Up

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” — John Wayne

I’ll say it here for the whole internet to read: I do in fact care what other people think of me. Sometimes maybe a little too much.

I don’t like things I’m not good at (ex: ice-skating), because I’m afraid of judgment. In all fairness, I’m pretty bad — apparently, I don’t have ankle joints. I’m in my own head a lot. I do know in reality at an ice rink, most people are focusing on trying to stay vertical themselves and not run into anyone, no one really cares about the fact that I’m death-gripping the wall. But my head gets the best of me.

PSA: For my own and everyone else’s safety, I won’t be visiting any ice rinks any time soon.

When declaring agricultural communications as a major, I wasn’t as worried about what my friends, family and acquaintances from “the other side” of the fence would think, I was worried more about what the person sitting next to me in my Meat & Carcass (yes, that’s a real class) would think. I had no farming or ranching experience, I could hardly tell a steer from a bull and had no idea that there were different methods of tilling. What was I even doing in that class? Was I doing the agriculture industry any favors by being there? I had doubts.

But I used those doubts to my advantage.

To make up for what I lacked in experience, I studied extra hard and made sure to dive into every learning opportunity available. I was passionate about what I was learning and I was eager to soak up more. Junior year, one of Matt’s professors needed help branding calves — and you bet I was there to help out where I could. Even though I was pretty much was just a warm body to deter the calves from escaping their pen, I was there. I showed up and absorbed everything.

I learned that what set me apart also made me unique in my understanding and perspective of things, especially, issues. I may not have come from a ranch, but I came from the suburbs which made me bi-lingual in both ag and consumer, two languages that are very different from each other.

So what I’m saying is, whatever it is your passionate about, don’t be afraid to show up and try, even if you’re scared.