Author: Jacky

Author of A Little Bit About A Lot Of Things

FFA…Your Kids…and Self Entertainment

So I am sitting at the South Coast Regional FFA Leadership Reception.  My daughter Kayla Jo is receiving her State FFA degree and being recognized as the regional sheep proficiency winner. Needless to say, this ain’t my first rodeo.  I have sat through this ceremony even before I had children old enough to be in FFA.  Nolan was very fortunate to have not only accomplished the above, but be honored as the state and national FFA sheep proficiency award. Which is pretty incredible and an achievement that I still marvel at today.
For those of you unaware of the FFA, it is a youth organization built around agriculture.  It teaches leadership, organization, and life skills.  My husband Bobby refers to it as the breeding ground for young Republicans.  They are strong in their beliefs, encourage greatness and build a solid foundation of responsibility.  My life has been surrounded by the organization.  From being a member in high school to living with a past state officer in college, as a young person I thought I had a pretty clear grasp of the FFA.  But follow that up with having multiple agriculture teachers in my family and having two of my three kids go through the program …. I guess one could say “I know a little bit about the FFA”.
But I have veered of course of my blog topic.  And that is, is it so bad that I sit here on my iPad writing a blog during this event?  I love my kids.  I support them with all my heart, soul and pocket book.  But if the truth be told some of the parental supporting functions can sometimes take on the excitement of watching paint dry.  Seriously people, if you can honestly say every little league game, girls softball, show ring moment, awards banquet, has been an on the edge of your seat moment than hats off to you.  And then there are the complete opposite events that exhaust your emotions. For example, your son being the high school quarterback and every play you hold your breath praying, he doesn’t get hurt, he is successful in orchestrating the plan or worst yet that he does not fumble the ball.  So how does one survive these life moments, cherish the memories and celebrate their accomplishments?
Well here is my solutions.
1.  If you know it is going to be long event with periods of down time and a few moments of excitement, then take along your own form of entertainment.  Case in point, I have my iPad today!  And I do not feel one ounce of guilt, but very happy that I am finally finding time to write a blog post.
2.  Be the supporter, not the coach.  I try to constantly remind my kids it is suppose to be fun.  I can not tell you how many times we have had tears ringside to sidelines, and I always remind them that they did great and that remember we are suppose to be having fun.  Unless your kids are curing cancer or solving world hunger, it isn’t life altering if they don’t always come out on top.  The college students I teach are well aware of my motto, “If it won’t matter in five years, it doesn’t matter now”. My kids are true competitors.  My gladiator mind set children channel their heart and soul into a passion that is truly remarkable.  Motivation is not an issue, sometimes I feel more like the demotivation cheerleader.  It is suppose to be fun, damn it!
3. Fantasy Island is an ok place to visit, but no one needs to live there full time.  My son can dream up all kinds of goals in his mind.  He has done this since he was born.  The amazing part is most of his fantasies play out almost to script. It is a great gift and I admire his creativity.  However, once again as the mom I need to remind him of reality.  Bringing them back to the real world and pointing out the big picture is important.
4. Finally if all else fails use my solution for most situations.  Just pretend you are starring in your own skit on Saturday Night Live.  It will add humor to the situation and get you through the moment.
(Kayla just received her proficiency award.  I did stop the blog writing long enough to clap, take a photo and cheer her achievement)
Maybe I am way to much a type A person and need to learn to relax for two hours, sit through an event and enjoy the down time.  But, at the fabulous age of 45 I don’t see my core characteristics changing.  And it is not just me. Lilly is sitting her next to me complaining how bored she is, can she play with my iPad, and that she is hungry.  No, you can not have my ipad, you should have brought your own.  Maybe I should have included a fifth suggestion, bring along something to entertain the other siblings who are along for the ride.
Congratulations Kayla Jo…..you little FFA super star!
By the way Lilly just left to walk around the lobby, I wonder if there is a newly painted wall she can watch dry?
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Change..Friend or Foe?

Change is a dark stranger that on the surface scares one to death, but eventually can become your new best friend.
In my zealous state to create a blog I quickly wrote my first entry and then had high hopes of continuing each and every week.  As my few (and I mean three) followers know, there has not been a new post to read in weeks.  My plan was to follow up my beginning post with a piece on the effects of Western Bonanza on the exhibitors and their parents.  But as time rushed on, I regret the thoughts never landed from my head to the written page.
One of the key reasons is that there are changes happening with the program.  And it began my mind thinking about change.  I work in the fair industry which is on a roller coaster of revisions, especially in the state of California. At Cal Poly we are getting ready to change quarters and students are graduating beginning a new fresh start.  And then tomorrow marks my third wedding anniversary, which is a new journey that I’m still surprised I embarked down the path which was a major change.
So what is my point, well here it is in a nut shell.  Most people I know do not like change.  It scares them to death if their daily routine is altered.  Basically, surprises aren’t fun and the safety of predictability is as sacred as knowing where to find the mayonnaise in your local supermarket.  But, I actually beg to differ on this subject.  With change comes the hopes of great opportunities.
Unless we are tossed off our comfort path, we might never know there is something way greater just waiting to befriend us around the corner.  Today’s post is my simple steps for dealing with change.  There has been no great hours of research devoted just my 45 years of experiencing change.  You are more than welcomed to agree or change the list to fit your lifestyle, basically isn’t that the beauty of change anyway?
Simple Steps to Accepting Change:
1. Don’t use the bandage approach.
Ripping it off and dealing with total change can be painful and harder to adjust to in the long run.  For example, you get a new job and in your mind everything needs to be changed.  The people who your changes effect, your employees, customers, etc, need time to adjust.  Sometimes taking baby steps can actually make the process successful quickly.
2. Don’t make change just to make change.
Ever hear the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Well it isn’t and their septic will eventually overflow just like yours.  To many times we run around chasing happiness and have the grand notion that change is the secret cure.  Look for the root of the problem, then adjust accordingly.
3. Look for the silver lining… It is there sometimes you just have to sift through the clouds to find the sparkle.
Many times we encounter changes that we had simply no control over.  The most common reaction is to become “Eeyore” and respond with a downer answer and suffer through.  But I truly believe with every change the is a great opportunity to be discovered.  And the key to discovering the treasure is always within yourself.  If you sit around and wait for someone else to figure it out for you or simply had you the key to the Emerald City…well my friend it’s not going to happen.
4. When all else fails make a list.
I’m a huge believer in lists.  And not just list of things to do, but lists for everything.  I had. “bucket list” years before the movie hit the silver screen.  I have lists of things I like or enjoy, I have yearly goal lists.  Putting down on paper your thoughts in a list format can be very therapeutic.  I made a list a few years before I met Bobby outlining traits I wanted in a man, I found the list days before our wedding and I am happy to report he received 100%.
I guess one could say I was looking for a change when I started this blog.  I wanted something just for myself and would help me someday achieve my life long dream to write a book.  Changing my thought process and daily plans to find time for the blog is difficult, I must say.  But, once I complete a post I get that rush of self achievement that validates your own efforts to yourself.  And isn’t that who really controls your happiness anyway!
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“Learn by Doing”

This weekend in Paso Robles, California the Cal Poly Western Bonanza will be in town.  In it’s 28th year the premier junior livestock show is produced, coordinated and operated solely by a team of college students. With over 460 exhibitors showing close to 1,000 head of livestock, the event does not just come together over night.  With three professors overseeing the process (myself being one of them), the planning of the show covers three classes over the course of a year. The class format consists of upper division students who serve as the management team and work with over 80 of their fellow classmates.  The students are majoring in numerous fields from throughout the college of agriculture, and a few from other colleges on the campus.  Celebrating the foundation by which Cal Poly was built upon,  “Learn by Doing” is the basic foundation of this class.

The students not only learn the obvious proficiencies that it takes to run a livestock show, but develop skills that will extend well into their professional careers.  Organizational and accounting methods from dealing with entries, results, and bookkeeping are obvious learned attributes.  But if one really digs deeper there are so many more life lessons happening over the three day event.

Dealing with the general public and your customer is a hands-on approach to customer service.  Successful businesses build the cornerstone of their sales model with customer service.  Or what about leading a team of your peers in preparing a show ring or gathering sponsorship monies.  Teamwork, leadership and basic management principles come into play.  Salesmanship and marketing are shown in the public relations, merchandise and hospitality committees role in the success of the weekend.  But I think the most important skill learned and more than likely the least noticeable is problem solving.

Anyone who has ever worked in the event business knows that no matter how much you plan and how prepared you are something is bound to go wrong.  How you solve that problem and the speed of which you get back on track is key to the success of the event.  And the day you realize in the world of events that what the public/ consumers perception of the outcome and your expectation are two different perpectives, you will have less anxiety and a better event.

Although on the Cal Poly campus one may hear moans and groans that the “Learn by Doing” philosophy is not applied, I can guarantee you it is alive and well in the hands of 120 Western Bonanza students.

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Hello world!

Welcome

If my “fairy godmother” would appear and ask me what I would like to be more than anything, I would reply a writer.  But after starting numerous books throughout my life, I decided a blog might be a good spot for me to start my writing career.

Why “A little bit about a lot of things”.. well basically I think it describes me pretty well.  I know a little bit about a lot of things.  I am a college professor with a degree in agriculture economics.  I teach marketing and classes in fair management.  Yes, fair management.  As in your local agriculture fair that celebrates the achievements of your community.  I enjoy traveling and expensive shoes.  I am a 5th generation agriculturist who grew up on the central coast of California.  I am a mother of three teenagers who have participated in all kinds of activities.

So watch what happens next as my first post will be featured this weekend titled “Learn by Doing”

 

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