President's Monthly Message

Fresh starts

by Michael A. Mellano

I did it! What? It was New Year’s Eve and I was finally able to walk out of my office door with my desk clean, my files and shelves organized and all the trade pubs that had accumulated on the floor the past several months (it was more than a few!) actually read and forwarded on to greener pastures. That was and is my goal each and every year. Generally I make it, but the last few years it’s been a challenge, to say the least. You see, for me, the New Year is my absolute favorite time of year. It is my personal trigger to clear my mind of all the clutter, to refocus and start over with a clean slate! This is really important to me. I need to be able to walk into my office on January 2nd with a new and fresh perspective each year.

I have found that it is way too easy to allow the multitude of issues that we must deal with over the course of the year to accumulate and that every so often we need to step back, breathe in/breathe out and reset our priorities. What better time than the New Year! How cliché, but you know what? For me it works!

This past year has been very difficult for a lot of people—some more than others. The challenges of the economy, drought, health care reform, and the financial condition of the state can easily snowball, threatening to overwhelm our thoughts and adversely impact our decision-making abilities. We as farmers and ranchers can’t allow that to happen. We periodically need that fresh start to reenergize ourselves. It’s important to note that I don’t consider this to be a “do over.” It doesn’t mean that the issues and problems of concern from the previous year have gone away and are no longer an issue. It is, however, an opportunity to move everything aside for a moment and reprioritize the things that are important in our personal and professional lives.

Unfortunately, once the slate is clear and we start anew, it is all too easy to fall back into the same patterns that got us bogged down in the first place. Starting fresh is easy; the harder part is to start differently. Think about it. We are creatures of habit and are most comfortable doing the same things in the same way. When we walk, we start out with the same foot (try to start walking with the opposite foot and see how you feel). When we sit, we like to be in the same seats or at least the same general area. Even at our Farm Bureau Board meetings, I rarely see people sit somewhere new (just try and sit in somebody else’s “unassigned” seat and watch the look on their face). Our world is a much different place than it was just a year ago and we all must adjust. Today, more than ever, we need to break out of our normal routines, get out of our comfort zones and look not only with a fresh perspective but with the intent to adapt and improve.
I, for one, am looking forward to 2010!