What Comes Next

Are you ready for State Office to be over? I’m sure you’re looking forward to college.

I hear those same two lines at almost every FFA event I attend these days. From Chapter Banquets to Business and Industry Visits, everyone wants to know if the State Officer is ready to be done. If the person who dedicated almost a year of their life to Indiana FFA is excited for it to be finally over. Thinking through a typical response to that question, the answer should be an easy yes or no. Yes, I’m ready for the year to be over. Or no, I’m not ready to move on.

More often than not, I find myself struggling to answer this question. It’s been an amazing year full of incredible accomplishments and great memories with my teammates. How could I possibly want this experience to come to an end? At the same time, the college process is starting up and I feel myself getting pulled towards that world. Filling out housing papers, deciding my fall classes, and gearing up for football season has me really excited about going to Notre Dame. How could I not be excited for college to start? 

As you can probably tell, I’m conflicted between these two emotions. I love what I do and I’m comfortable where I’m at in life. I’m happy with being a State Officer and I’ve grown used to being in this position. On the other hand, the future is quickly becoming the present and college will be here in less than three months. A new phase of my life is about to start and so many opportunities lie ahead for me. So where does that leave me? A State Officer reminiscing about the good ol’ days? A future college student who is nervous about starting a new life? A person who can’t seem to make up their mind? A little bit of all three. 

Throughout my entire life, I wanted to be in control of my own destiny. I wanted to know every single step I was going to take and where I was going with my future. So when I’m faced with a dilemma like this one and I struggle to decide exactly how I’m feeling, it really challenges my thought process and makes me feel uncertain. It leaves me wondering what comes next for Derick Williams.

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. No matter how much we want to be in control of our future, things come along that are unexpected, unpredictable, and unimaginable. A surprise job offer in a completely different work field. A chance to create a new friend group from people that you have never met. Or even a random opportunity to travel with friends. All of these are real life examples of things that come along and land in front of us whether or not we are ready to face them. And that’s okay. It’s okay to not know what the future holds for you. It’s okay to be nervous about starting a new chapter of life. What comes next will happen and it’s up to us to accept that and embrace it.

Whether or not I’m ready for State Office to be over, my future is out there and I’m happy to be along for the ride. Instead of getting caught up in predicting what is unknown, let’s enjoy the journey we have to travel and be comfortable with those unknowns when they come. Be the person who faces that journey knowing the steps taken will bring you what is supposed to come next in your life. Remember that and you’ll never be disappointed with the outcome.

Enjoying the Ride,

Derick Williams

Indiana FFA State Reporter