Hey Deckers,
I will be attending a houseboat at Dale Hollow (Holler) Lake this weekend and I think I have checked out early. Ever get that feeling? It doesn't help that I have a bunch of homework due next week before finals. What ever will I do?
Elsass
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Moving the Bar
Hello C-deckers,
I feel that it is important for one to note that when discussing and counting victories and defeats, winning is not a black and white subject. I know that I just told you what every sports movie every invented teaches you, but it takes two hours to watch a movie while I'll get straight to the point. To me, it is important to constantly be moving the bar. What does that mean you ask? It means that you should always be readjusting what you would consider winning. The easiest way to think of this is to mix the definition of goals and the definition of winning. Your goals should constantly be revisited and changed for the situation.
To get the best results you need to evaluate your situation and move that bar accordingly. You wouldn’t accept a coaching job with a football team that went 0-10 last year and expect them to win the state playoffs their first year. To do so would make you delirious and irresponsible. Instead maybe accept a 4 game improvement, hit that mark… winning. Win less than four games… losing. I feel that real inspirational people can move the bar on the fly and make others feel that challenge. Moving the bar up is always going to be the desirable direction, however there may be specific situations where the bar should be lowered, a concept I will delve into later.
At the beginning of every new officer term for an FFA program officers should reevaluate the goal of the chapter. This change can be a good indicator of how you did that year. Did the chapter win or lose? Are you raising the bar or lowering it? Also don’t be afraid to accept those small victories. You may have not won the state creed speaking contest but you did beat a rival school. Anything to keep that chapter/team moral up.
“We must be careful not to let our current appetites steal away any chance we might have for a future feast.”
-Jim Rohn
From the top... kind of,
Matt Elsass
Monday, May 9, 2011
Being the observer
Hello Top Deckers,
Keeping with the victory and defeat theme, I want to discuss one of my favorite phenomenon with you, being the observer. To clearify, remember to yourself a time when you were observing some sort of competition, whether it be a basketball game, an election, or just your at your buddies playing pool. Try to make that memory one that you were just on the edge of your seat. Within seconds you could be on top of the world with your fellow observers or you could be crushed for days under the weight of heartbreaking defeat.
If you cannot conjure such a memory you are either lying or the most bland human being every born... which is unfortunate. But what exactly causes us to be in such emotionally comprimising situations. Us as fans or observers are not going to win the ring, the trophy, or the title. You will not be able to rationally convince anyone you are responsible for the glory, even though we all will try.
You could rationally conclude that it is just the magnitude and intensity of a competition that gets us fired up about our side but this still doesn't get to the root. You still need a reason to be watching a certain competition, otherwise you would miss the magic. Your not going to be at the Reds game were they come back from 6 runs in the bottom of the ninth if you are a Yankees fan. (given that they aren't playing the Yankees that day) I feel that it is really do to the fact that we as people need something to have faith in, to believe in. In todays fast paced world, being "man of faith" isn't enough. That is in the long term for us. People want hope they can see and latch on to it like a toddler latches on to his dads leg.
Lets take for example a certain basketball player by the name of Lebron James. While he played for the Cavs, the city of Cleveland latched on to him. He was that symbol of hope that a place like Cleveland needed because he took their ever failing NBA team and made it into a force to be reconed with. As soon as he leaves, he is on Clevelands most wanted list. We can all understand why this is but in the grand scheme it doesn't matter. All that really matters is that Lebrons tenure in Cleveland made millions of people happy... and then bitter.
I guess to bring it back to education, especially ag ed, you can use CDE competitions and other forms of winning to inspire and raise the moral of your "observors". You have to be careful though, sometimes the higher your highs are, the lower your lows will be.
I thought this was an appropriate topic because this topic is what the C-Deck is all about, observing. From way up in the nosebleeds that is all your doing. You know you have something special if you can sit in the cheap seats and still be just as into a game as if you were in the front row. Good thing about sitting in the upper deck and being away from the action is that its easier to let go of that pesky defeat.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams
From the Nosebleeds,
Elsass
Keeping with the victory and defeat theme, I want to discuss one of my favorite phenomenon with you, being the observer. To clearify, remember to yourself a time when you were observing some sort of competition, whether it be a basketball game, an election, or just your at your buddies playing pool. Try to make that memory one that you were just on the edge of your seat. Within seconds you could be on top of the world with your fellow observers or you could be crushed for days under the weight of heartbreaking defeat.
If you cannot conjure such a memory you are either lying or the most bland human being every born... which is unfortunate. But what exactly causes us to be in such emotionally comprimising situations. Us as fans or observers are not going to win the ring, the trophy, or the title. You will not be able to rationally convince anyone you are responsible for the glory, even though we all will try.
You could rationally conclude that it is just the magnitude and intensity of a competition that gets us fired up about our side but this still doesn't get to the root. You still need a reason to be watching a certain competition, otherwise you would miss the magic. Your not going to be at the Reds game were they come back from 6 runs in the bottom of the ninth if you are a Yankees fan. (given that they aren't playing the Yankees that day) I feel that it is really do to the fact that we as people need something to have faith in, to believe in. In todays fast paced world, being "man of faith" isn't enough. That is in the long term for us. People want hope they can see and latch on to it like a toddler latches on to his dads leg.
Lets take for example a certain basketball player by the name of Lebron James. While he played for the Cavs, the city of Cleveland latched on to him. He was that symbol of hope that a place like Cleveland needed because he took their ever failing NBA team and made it into a force to be reconed with. As soon as he leaves, he is on Clevelands most wanted list. We can all understand why this is but in the grand scheme it doesn't matter. All that really matters is that Lebrons tenure in Cleveland made millions of people happy... and then bitter.
I guess to bring it back to education, especially ag ed, you can use CDE competitions and other forms of winning to inspire and raise the moral of your "observors". You have to be careful though, sometimes the higher your highs are, the lower your lows will be.
I thought this was an appropriate topic because this topic is what the C-Deck is all about, observing. From way up in the nosebleeds that is all your doing. You know you have something special if you can sit in the cheap seats and still be just as into a game as if you were in the front row. Good thing about sitting in the upper deck and being away from the action is that its easier to let go of that pesky defeat.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy AdamsFrom the Nosebleeds,
Elsass
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