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April/May 2007 Issue
What will you bring?
by Jennifer Shike
Positive thinking is one of the most-powerful tools you possess. We can’t control what life brings our way, but we can control the attitude we bring to life.
I watched the power of positive thinking transform a close friend recently.
A few months ago, she gave birth to a beautiful girl. Immediately, the doctors realized she faced two unexpected challenges – Down Syndrome and a hole in her heart.
Put yourself in the parents’ shoes. My friend had an easy pregnancy and no signs of concern. They were expecting what every parent expects – a healthy baby.
At first, my friend was in shock. But, her husband’s optimism and determination helped her make it through some difficult weeks. With God’s help, she now is a positive, hopeful and prayerful force in her daughter’s life.
Not long ago, their daughter had open heart surgery. It’s amazing how this tiny baby could withstand so much.
If positive thinking can help a 3-month-old survive open-heart surgery, what can it do for you? It’s easy to get so caught up in what we are facing that we can get down and discouraged because life doesn’t go the way we expect it to go.
How does this relate to hog shows? Consider what could happen if we embrace positive thinking at the shows and with our projects year-round.
A chain reaction happens when positive thinking takes place. Here are a few practical ways you can allow positive thinking to impact you, your family and everyone around you this year.
Focus on someone else first. Find someone you can help achieve success. When you focus on other people first, you will not only make a difference in somebody else’s life, but you will also experience greater personal satisfaction.
Take the Colvin family of Indiana. Last year, Chad and his sons, Grant and Walter, helped their friend, Thomas Brown, get started with showpigs. Chad helped him find his first pig in their county’s scramble contest for first-year 4-H members.
Grant and Walter spent many hours teaching Thomas how to exercise his pig and how to drive the pig in the show ring. Everyone was thrilled when Thomas’ pig received Reserve Champion Scramble Pig at their county fair. They were even more excited when Thomas made the final cut in novice showmanship.
Together, they journeyed to the NJSA Southeast Regional in Perry, Ga. It was awesome to watch Grant and Thomas working together at the show. Some may have doubted Thomas’ ability to show pigs successfully because he has Down Syndrome. That thought never entered Grant’s mind as he helped his friend achieve success in the show ring and most importantly, to achieve new goals in his life.
Be a positive voice around the ring. You can be encouraging by the words you choose. I will never forget the first time I heard Michael Singletary of Texas whoop and cheer for his sister, Mandy, at our NJSA Southwest Regional. As Mandy drove her hog to the top of the class, you would have thought she hung the moon. A victory for his sister was a victory for him.
It’s contagious when people clap and cheer from the sidelines at our shows. The atmosphere of the show lightens, and you can feel the excitement in the air.
When was the last time you truly cheered someone else on? You start a spark that can’t be extinguished. That person feels great, and then they’ll want to cheer for someone else. It’s a pay-it-forward situation that will reap great rewards!
Don’t forget, it makes the judge feel good, too. It’s nicer to judge a show with positive people around the ring then poor sports and bad losers. Wouldn’t you rather show to a judge who’s in a good mood?
Think of others more highly than yourself. When you think of others before yourself, you’ll be happier. At least that is what Ryan Hoelscher of Texas believes. Ryan always finds a way to help other people. At our shows, he is known for his willingness to do the worst jobs – jobs that others sometimes think they are too good to do.
It’s neat to watch how people are naturally attracted to Ryan’s personality. People like being around him. It’s not his motive – but when you pour yourself into building other people up, it comes back to bless you in unexpected ways.
The next time you load up for the show, don’t forget your positive attitude. You can’t always prepare for what life will bring your way, but you can be prepared with the attitude you bring to life.
