Goals Shmoals

Memorial Day @ my house = CLEANING.

As I was uncovering the piles of mail I have received throughout the school year, I found an unopened envelope that had my penmanship all over it. I quickly opened it up to find that it was a letter I had written to myself in the summer of 2009 at a State FFA Camp I was working at. In the letter were some basic "What are you doing with your life?!" statements and questions.

On the back, however were...

             My Top Three Goals          

1. To place 1st in the State for the Sheep Production Proficiency and advance to Nationals
2. To run for and be selected as the Minnesota FFA National Officer Candidate
3. To work for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as a D.V.M - Veterinarian.

As I looked them over, I became immediately disheartened. At this point in my life, I have not accomplished any of these goals, nor am I in the position to accomplish them! More like "My Top Three Fails!"

Here's what happened...

1. I placed 3rd.
2. I ran twice and was not selected.
3. I am not studying Pre-Veterinary Medicine anymore.

I began to think even more and realized the error behind my thoughts. I'll admit, when I didn't achieve those first two goals it was tough, especially because they were two things that meant A LOT to me at the time. The third goal, after deciding within my first semester of classes, I began to feel embarrassed when I would have teachers, friends and family members ask me about "So how's Mr. Vet doing?"

Above all, here is the truth that a good friend of mine helped me realize.

VISION

Courtesy of http://www.visualphotos.com/

This is a GOAL.

One way I like to think about is like looking through a telescope. Say, you are standing on land and your sights are focused on this island you see before you! You set the goal to reach this island, and you never take your eyes off of it... constantly focused, doing whatever you can to reach it. You set sail, enduring weather, bumpy waves and avoiding the number of obstructions along the way.

However, for some reason a current prevents you from reaching the island. The current takes you away, and suddenly there is nothing but the vast expanse of blue water before you. You take down your telescope and see, once again, nothing but an endless amount of blue water reaching to where the earth appears to end.



It is GREAT to have goals, but I believe that with goals it is more important to have a vision. Out goals are A PART of our vision. Whether or not we "achieve" or "meet" a goal, it should not stop us from reaching our vision.

This is VISION.

Although I did not reach the above three goals, it will not stop me from keeping my life focused on my vision. My vision is to serve others through agriculture. Whether it is through my local FFA chapter, in an agricultural business or even at an international level- I will continuously strive to serve and improve people's lives.
Create goals. Strive for your goals, but don't be discouraged by not accomplishing them.
Look towards your vision.

What is your vision? 

Got _____ ?

                       MELLK... ( Midwestern )

                              MAHLK... ( Valley Girl )

                                        MUKE... ( British )

                                  MILK... (The rest of the world ) 

No matter how you say it, drink it, or have it with- it's delicious. 

So, it has been ages since I last posted- in fact too long. Nearly 6 months!! Anyway, now that I have finished up school I do intend to get back on track. So lets get to it.

A new TV show came across my radar tonight on ABC called "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution." The premise is to analyze food service in metropolitan school districts, identify issues, eliminate "processed crap", and create awareness for students and parents. In this particular episode he takes the time to discuss milk- especially flavored milk. He speaks up at a school meeting and criticizes them for serving chocolate milk, and even fills an entire school bus up with sugar to demonstrate how much sugar kids get from drinking milk. "Over 20 grams!!!"

Time to drop in my 2 cents:

1. If you don't want your kids to drink chocolate milk- don't drink it! Kids aren't forced to drink chocolate milk, but they do prefer it over the plain milk next to it in the lunch line. 


2. Pop, soda and other soft drinks are the #1 source of sugar in a child's diet! In fact, what Mr. Oliver seemed to forget is that over half of those "20g" of sugar, are naturally occurring sugars in milk. Lactose, for example, is a sugar!  


3. Flavored or not- according to the American Dietetic Association - children who drink milk consume more nutrients and have a lower BMI (body mass index) than their peers that don't drink milk at all! 


4. 8oz. of flavored milk has as much... 

Vitamin A as 2 hard boiled eggs!

Potassium as 1 banana!

Calcium as 10 cups of raw spinach! 

Phosphorus as 1 cup of red kidney beans!
Vitamin D as 3/4 oz. of cooked salmon!

Riboflavin as 1/3 cup of whole almonds!

5. Chocolate milk may not be the BEST decision when it comes to a daily consumption for students, when compared to plain milk. However- lets not eliminate it from our diets! Studies show that chocolate milk is the best drink for athletes to have, especially after a workout. Its a powerhouse of nutrients, and a great food to have at all times of the day. 

So my point: do drink milk - do research - do not believe everything on TV - 

*Oh one other thing that was kind of funny was this Oliver guy had a problem with milkshakes. So- he takes strawberries, yogurt and ice and blends it together... and argues with a restaurant owner on how this is a "milkshake." Sorry buddy, but look it up any other place, and you've gotta have ice-cream, milk and fruit/chocolate... you just made a smoothie. 

** The actions he took with the school district resulted in him eventually being disallowed to enter the school and he even attempted to enter the school, but was escorted out by police. 

***A healthy diet is important, and all things must be eaten in moderation- no matter how "healthy" or "unhealthy" they are. 

CHECK THIS OUT:

http://www.whymilk.com/pdfs/Flavored-Milk-Top-5-Reasons.pdf 

-THAT'S ALL FOLKS.