“We live in a house of winners!”

was the fist-pumping exclamation from the lunch eating young adult when his baby sister found out she won the Tractor Supply Good Neighbor Contest.

It is an answered prayer, a dream come true—to have kids see the glass as half full instead of half empty. Every family member shared in the joy and celebration with the young lady.

“What’d you do?”

“Entered a photo and wrote a 200-word essay of how I teach kids about horses.”

“What’d you win?”

She didn’t remember because her reward was in winning.

A couple of days passed and a different kid exclaimed from his bedroom,

“I got another $1000 scholarship!”

The youngest replied with a joyful shout,

“We live in a house of winners!”

We don’t always win

I apply for many teaching gigs and get rejected. Kids hear nothing from applications for activities and/or scholarships. Horse events result in disqualifications (DQ’s) quite frequently. Voices crack and fingers miss the strum when performing. However, none of these stop one from living life.

Fake it til you make it

When we believe in ourselves, it shows. How one thinks of oneself can be seen in posture, voice, handshake and eye contact. It can’t be faked. It can’t be helicoptered into reality by a 3^rd party, like a parent. Belief comes from within.

Each of us can foster self-worth within ourselves and those around us. Lift one another up. As I’m pausing between county and state fair mode, I wish every parent and youth a learning experience. Whether positive and ribbon worthy or a DQ, acknowledge what worked well and any opportunities for improvement.

In reading the 2018 State 4-H Horse Show Book, the bottom of page 3 caught my eye: Life “…isn’t about winning or competing. It is about making the best better. Please encourage those around you and thank those who got you there.”