Cyndi's Two Cents
Advice to FFA members
It was a treat for me to keynote the annual Winchester FFA Banquet last week. 35 years had passed since I’d set foot in the “old gymnasium” at the high school. It was especially meaningful to have my parents there with me. My dad, Eddie Young, was President of the Winchester FFA Chapter in 1956 and recipient of the DeKalb Award that year.
In preparation for my 15 minutes at the podium, I thought long and hard about what I would have wanted to hear when I was the age of those FFA members. A flood of memories with lessons learned woven through led me to offer some advice. Following are the highlights:
I remember very clearly one Saturday I was home from college during hay-making season. I offered to rake. Of course I wanted to help my parents, but I was also looking forward to being on the tractor without a cab on a sunny day. I wanted a suntan. One of my high school girlfriends was getting married that evening and vain though it was, I wanted to look good. I thought deepening my tan would help.
As it turned out, the job I had taken on was taking a little longer than I had planned. I needed time to get ready for that wedding and when I let my dad know this, he said simply. “You finish what you start.”
Use your words wisely. It was good advice my parents offered all those years ago when they told us we should think before we speak and make an effort to use proper terminology.
Tell the truth. A white lie is still a lie. Stealing $2.00 from the cash drawer is still stealing. Educate yourself before you make claims that are unsubstantiated.
Vote. In every election. A county commissioner can have as much impact on your daily life as the president of the United States of America.
Be a team player. I learn more from working with people whose views differ from mine than from working only with like-minded individuals. Imagine what a boring and unproductive world it would be if we all agreed on everything all the time.
Do not sacrifice your moral principles for anyone or any reason. Sadly, in my lifetime I have seen integrity decay. Many Americans are spoiled rotten. What a few years ago would have been labeled a behavioral problem is accepted behavior today. Narcissism, lack of sympathy, and questionable morals seems to be considered normal.
Many people want instant gratification. They don’t want to have to work hard to earn anything. There is an undercurrent of distrust and disrespect among the citizenry that I don’t remember feeling when I was younger. People are not only suspicious of lawmakers and others in positions of authority; they are suspicious of one another.
You represent the generation that can right the ship. You can change it.
In my career, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to 16 different countries to cover agriculture stories for Midwestern farmers. I’ve visited more farms and agricultural companies in the past 3 decades than I can count. There was a time when I was so busy trying to get an interview so I had to file a story station that I missed out on the experience.
My final piece of advice: Don’t get so caught up in what lies ahead that you miss out on the journey. Enjoy the ride.
Tags: commentary, FFA
I wish we could have heard you speak to the FFA kids, this is awesome advice.