This past week I had a great opportunity to attend a cattle conference. As part of the conference, we listened to a variety of speakers with keynotes by boxer George Foreman and football player Joe Theismann! 

In both of their speeches, there was a common theme that applies to many of us. 

George touched on: principles – knowing who you are and the foundation that provides; fight – keep working toward goals every day; and convictions – knowing what you believe in and being willing to work toward that, even when it is hard.

In Joe’s address, he highlighted the following: goals – set personal, professional, spiritual, and financial goals because without a goal, how do you know where you are headed or when you are making progress; attitude – “When is the last time you congratulated yourself?” and focused on working to keep a positive attitude every day, no matter the circumstances; teamwork – make sure that everyone on the team feels valued regardless of the size of their role; motivation – keeping an eye on goals and attitude will help but at the end of the day, each of us must choose to be motivated to be better, to learn something new, to improve on a skill.

Both men have seen incredible success and have dealt with some pretty tough circumstances. They continue to use the lessons they have learned to be better people and I certainly respect that! 

Everyone deals with their own set of circumstances and difficulties - some of our own making and some out of our control – but each of us can set goals, adjust our attitude, acknowledge those around us, and stay focused on our path to learn, grow, and improve every day.

Keep learning. Keep showing grace and kindness.

Michelle Beran is the 4-H and Youth Development Agent for the Cottonwood District, Barton County office. For more information on this article or other 4-H Youth and Development related questions email Michelle at mberan@ksu.edu or call 620-793-1910.