As I write this, I’m flying home from Florida. I’ve spent the past two days in a room full of fellow dairy enthusiasts at the Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI). I signed up for this leadership opportunity seeking to connect with members of the dairy community my age and am leaving the program with exactly that and a new skill set I’m excited to utilize.
The program spans one year and consists of two weeks of in-person meetings and at-home tasks to complete during the year. While I learned a lot as I worked to fulfill my personal goals, each in-person gathering seemed to expand my knowledge and push me out of my comfort zone. Conversations around milk production, succession planning, diversifying operations and more stretched my mind as I listened to new perspectives.
I’ll be the first to admit, I often roll my eyes when it comes to self-improvement. You won’t catch me listening to self-help podcasts or reading the latest "better yourself" book. YDLI was a bit of a stretch for me in that sense, as there were plenty of times for personal reflection and challenges to better oneself. My notebook is full of lessons learned from the week, but I’ll give you the cliff notes.
In a year full of change, it was difficult to stick to the goals I assigned myself last January. My life now looks drastically different, and when I sat down to review my goals last fall, I was pretty disappointed in myself. I felt I didn’t measure up to the ideas I had – and once again felt a disdain for self-improvement. How are we supposed to better ourselves if our circumstances are constantly changing?
And that’s where I learned valuable lesson number one: The effort is what matters. I had a crazy year but did my best to stick to my goals. Recognizing that gave me a sense of accomplishment – it’s OK to fall short if you gave it your best effort. I felt validated in this thought when I heard from several other classmates who echoed my concerns: It was a hard year for many of us but we showed up the best we could and often, that is enough.
Lesson number two actually came from a colleague of mine – Kimmi Devaney. Kimmi served as an adviser to our class and challenged our group during the first phase to “Be where your feet are” and be present in your current situation. I’ll admit, this went in one ear and out the other. However, when phase two came around and one of my classmates stood and expressed how much that advice meant to them over the past year, I sat back in my seat. I was in the middle of trying to send this magazine to print, had some personal issues I was working through and honestly didn’t have a great attitude about the timing of this year’s event. I felt I was missing out on important things at home and that I was falling short with work tasks due to being out of the office. When my classmate said the words “be where your feet are,” I was humbled. I felt grateful to be in a room full of so many bright minds and marveled that little old me was accepted into this program. My attitude shifted as I planted my feet and zoned in on the tasks at hand.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to be part of YDLI Class 13. I've made lifelong friends, learned new skills and life lessons and have a renewed passion for the dairy industry. I challenge you, dear reader, to be where your feet are and put a little extra effort into whatever task is at hand – a little can go a long way.
