Juniors
Your Windshield is Bigger than your Rearview
By Brooke Falk , NALJA board of directors
It was a journey for me to become a member of the NALJA board of directors . I first ran in 2015 , fresh out of high school I was ready to face new challenges and opportunities . Sadly , that year serving as a board member just was not meant to be . I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed . A week later my family ’ s world was turned upside down . My mom was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer . Although this cancer is treatable , it is a very rigorous and difficult treatment . I spent my first year of college taking her to appointments and doing my homework in the waiting area . Even after she was pronounced cancer free , she continued to have issues due to the radiations side effects . She was just starting to get back to “ normal ” around junior nationals in 2016 . With everything that my family had been through I felt it was time to do something “ normal ” again and I decided not to run for the board that year . However , in 2017 , my dream came true when I finally made the NALJA board .
Upon arriving home from Grand Island , I received a call . Little did I know that that call would change the way I lived my life . The call was from a familiar face among Kansas Limousin breeders , Chris Campbell . He did not have much to say , but he gave me this advice ; “ remember that your windshield is a lot bigger than your rearview mirror .”
When I began to consider this quote , I instantly associated it with what had happened in the last two years to me and my family . I knew I needed to look ahead , through my “ windshield ,” and focus on being a great board member . I also needed to look back and see where I had grown from the trials in my life , that were now in my “ rearview mirror ,” but not get caught up in the negative and feel sorry for myself because spending too much time staring at your “ rearview mirror ” will cause you to crash . Life moves forward , not backward , and getting caught up in the past will cause you to miss out on what is happening right in front of you . I could easily fall into this bad habit , and there are still days I do . There are days I have trouble seeing past the frustrations and trials in my life , like dealing with my mother ’ s continued health issues or the frustration of ending my junior show career having never done as well as I had hoped at junior nationals . However , living by this quote , I have learned to move forward and not dwell on the past . Learning from the past is a huge part of life , but dwelling in it will ruin it .
Limousin juniors take Chris Campbell ’ s advice , “ remember your windshield is a lot bigger than your rearview mirror .” Look forward , you all have a bright future ahead of you , whether that is taking home a banner at you next show , getting onto the team you tried out for , or even further down the line when you get your dream job . Do not let hardships and mistakes you see in your “ rearview mirror ” hold you back , learn and grow from what you see so you can achieve what is ahead through your “ windshield .”
Thank you , Chris , your advice and humor over the years has been greatly appreciated ! I
NALJA Board of Directors
President : Randa Taylor , TX
RandaTaylor99 @ yahoo . com 817-504-6927
Vice President : Dominic Ruppert , IL Ruppert _ 97 @ hotmail . com 217-254-2558
Secretary : Hannah Ziegler , OH HannahFarmsLLC @ hotmail . com 419-618-2441
Treasurer : Lindsey Gulotta , LA
LiveOakCattle @ gmail . com 985-351-7674
Ex-Officio : Ethan Freund , CO
Ethan _ Freund @ yahoo . com 303-502-4605
Director : Aaron Linhart , IA
15ALinhart @ gmail . com 641-414-5060
Director : Callie Hicks , KY
Callie . Hicks @ uky . edu 859-699-3893
Director : Brooke Falk , KS brianfal @ msn . com 785-817-2214
Director : Zane Gavette , WA zgcattle15 @ gmail . com 360-389-7105
Director : Tristan Gulotta , LA gulottatristan @ gmail . com 985-351-7643
Director : Colt Schrader , OK coltas @ okstate . edu 918-704-2397
Staff Advisor : Katie Campbell Katie @ NALF . org
913-683-1415
28 | OCTOBER 2018