"But What If You Fly?" By Taylor Perrodin, State Reporter

November Blog

     Picture this: it’s time to announce the results for the 2016 State Dairy Cattle Evaluation CDE and the small room is overcrowded with hopeful contestants and advisors. Zoom in to the right side of the room and you’ll see a very nervous group of sophomore girls from Crowley. In that moment, everyone is just wishing they would hurry up, but for my team and I, time stopped. Crowley is known for winning this CDE, but what if we don’t live up to the expectations? What if we fall short and disappoint our advisor and previous teams?  All these doubts were running through my mind and I began to feel overwhelmed, but it was time. They called 4^thplace, not us. Then 3^rd, our second team. Then 2^nd, not us. We all closed our eyes and then BAM! “1^stplace...Crowley Blue! My eyes opened wider than ever before and I shot up to receive our banner. It was so exciting that my chair even came up the aisle with me. In that moment, all those “What If’s” disappeared and all I could feel was happiness.

            In our everyday lives, we probably ask ourselves “What if?” when trying to make decisions. These “What If’s” are the reason people don’t go for opportunities, or the reason they doubt their abilities. I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard and said myself “What if I fail?” If you really think about it, that question can become extremely unsettling. Our minds become boggled with memories of all the times we have failed before and evaluations of our past actions that we believe weren’t good enough. We even keep these thoughts to ourselves and don’t allow the people around us to tell us the truth and encourage us to conquer whatever it is we are struggling with. 

            I am saying no more. No more doubt, fear, or hesitation. It’s time to forget about the things holding you back and believe in yourself. It’s time to take action and do those things you’ve been avoiding because of your “What If’s”. Take a moment to think about every time you stopped yourself from doing something because of your own thoughts. Now think about how different you would be had you just taken those chances. I challenge all of you to take a chance this month and post a picture of the outcome regardless of what it is. Go ahead and ask that girl to the dance or compete against someone that wins that CDE every year. You see, we are always asking ourselves “What if I fail”, but it is time we stop and start asking “What if I fly?”

Wishing the best,

Taylor