How did I get HERE?

So I have been at my new job for just over a month now, and I must say things are going GREAT!  I have great co-workers, great students, and I am living in a great college town.

I had the opportunity to travel to Newberry, SC this weekend to judge the Newberry Beef Expo.  On my drive it really hit me all at once.  I had left work early (from my dream job) to go and judge a livestock show (one of my favorite things to do).

My life had really come full circle!  I am 25 years old, I have a GREAT job and have MANY opportunities before me.  But how did I get to this point?  So few ever get their dream job, and even fewer get it right after graduation.  I look back at the people who were sitting at my high school graduation and those who were sitting in my freshman level college classes and there are VERY few I can think of that have their dream job or even work in an area related to what they had hoped for.

How did I get to this point?  What made me special?

First and foremost I had an AMAZING family who pushed me to do my best and to follow my dreams.  My parents hauled me literally all over the country showing cattle and participating in youth events related to agriculture.  I was raised to appreciate where our food comes from and who grows it.  I was also raised to appreciate the power of a good education and the time and work that one must put in to get it.  My family positioned me to pursue my current career path.

Secondly, I took full advantage of extracurricular activities.  I was stretched super thin in college with judging teams, and quiz bowl teams, and College of Ag. ambassadors and my fraternity.  I put a lot of my time and effort into those and it paid off.  Was I a 4.0 student? HECK NO! But I got above the 3.0 that I needed to get into graduate school and had some fun along the way.  Through my extracurricular activities I discovered my passions in agriculture.  Sitting in my Intro to Animal Science class I would have never guessed that I would have become a member of the American Meat Science Association, but I exposed myself to everything that my major had to offer and I loved it.

I worked very hard throughout college to ensure that I had great opportunities when I was done.  It took me away from my family but it put me in a place that I am truly happy with.

I am so thankful to have been afforded this opportunity and look forward to those that are to come.  The key to getting what you want is not being lazy.  Get up early for that meats judging practice, put yourself out there and go through rush, stay late after class to turn out the repro lab cows, go to that interest meeting, meet those professors, find a study group. 

Step outside of what you think is your comfort zone for just a minute and you may find that outside your comfort zone is where you feel the most comfortable.