Take a Step Back: The Bigger Picture

       “Great moments are born from great opportunity.”

This past week, our team spent three days in facilitation training, sharpening our skills and preparing ourselves to head off this upcoming week to chapter visits and district kickoffs. As we watched video clips to learn different stages of emotion, a few minutes of the movie Miracle played. For those that haven’t seen Miracle, Coach Herb Brooks leads his hodge-podge U.S. hockey team into an Olympic victory over the Russian team. At that point in the movie, they were in the locker room, about to venture onto the ice rink for the Olympic championship games. Coach Brooks walks in, and gives one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard. In this motivational pre-game speech, he says the simple quote I included above- “Great moments are born from great opportunities”.

It seems as though we blinked and the month of August had disappeared; 27 days of the great Indiana State Fair flew by and before I knew it, we were whisked off to Decatur, Illinois for a few hot, but exciting, days at the Farm Progress Show. The seven of us had an absolute blast meeting people from across the country and learning their stories. My personal favorite was meeting Past State Officers and talking about the changes that have occurred in FFA and seeing how much pride they took in our beloved organization.

We all live very busy and chaotic lives. I know for our team, we are always working on the next project or traveling to somewhere new, but we love our late nights at home together, jamming to music while laughing nonstop; inwardly recognizing that time truly does fly. Life goes at such a fast pace that it seems to pass before we can cherish it. But, one of the most important things I’ve realized in just the few short months is that NOW is the greatest time for opportunity.

This applies to everybody-- no matter what stage of life you are experiencing. Maybe you are a freshman in high school realizing everything FFA has to offer you, and feeling a bit overwhelmed. Maybe you are a senior in high school dealing with college applications, studying for the ACT and SAT, feeling stressed to whole new levels. We all feel pressure to achieve, succeed, and get ahead in life. We want to find those great opportunities to create great moments. However, we must not forget to experience the little moments in life that count most.

The smallest opportunities can have the biggest impact. Watching scary movies on the couches, having nerf gun fights in the office, and eating hot pockets together as a team are moments I will remember for a lifetime. In this crazy, action-packed life, it is a complete necessity to stop and experience each moment to its full extent. If we don’t stop and take that time, we won’t do justice to the great opportunities and great moments we earn through our hard work.

Receiving a banner, winning a scholarship, and being named number one are all great instances in life. However, we must not forget to live in the NOW. Every time the clock ticks forward, another second of our lives is lost to eternity. Time is not gained, only lost. Look at every second as though it is a new opportunity to create a great moment-- big or small.  

Explore. Expand your horizons, and look at the world from different perspectives. Every single day is a rare and unique opportunity; be sure to seize that.  

God Bless,

Kenzie Kretzmeier
2015-2016 Indiana FFA State President