Tips for WINNING Your Next Stock Show

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Winning. That’s the end goal right? A wall full of banners, trophies, awards? Hardware that signifies all the hard work and your accomplishments. Okay, let’s be honest. Winning isn’t everything, but if you are showing livestock competitively, it’s definitely a goal. That’s why this week we want to share 7 tips to help you get your next win.

HUSTLE.

Hustle can mean a lot of things but maximize every single minute you have. Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you. Be in the moment. And the hardest part? Don’t procrastinate.

WORK HARD.

Not “work hard.” (yes I’m putting air quotes around that with my fingers) We’ve all heard that. All of us say that we are kids with farm values who know how to do hard work. No. I mean work. Really. freaking. hard. Every day. Put down the cell phone. Binge watch Netflix later. Spend HOURS in the barn. Get dirty. Put in the time and the effort.

INVEST WISELY.

We don’t all have large budgets to spend on livestock and yes, that can be limiting, so invest what you have in the best way possible. If you can, make it profitable, but remember no matter what, make it worth it. Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR INVESTMENT.

Livestock are expensive so take care of them! Protect your investment. Be smart about how you manage both the money and resources you have.

LEVERAGE RELATIONSHIPS.

You’ve heard the saying: It’s not what you know, but who you know. This is true when working towards any goal. Think about the people in your life who can help you reach the goal, who can teach you techniques and give you advice. Who around you can you learn from? What opportunities are available to you to learn and grow and get better? Never underestimate the value of a sibling’s help. Family and close family friends can sometimes be the best advantage you have. In the end, you may be the person leading livestock to the backdrop and shaking the judges hand, but it takes a village. Best part? When you finally do win, it’s your tribe who you’ll get to celebrate with.

START YESTERDAY.

News Flash: If you want to start your journey now to win your Junior National show this year: it’s too late. You lost, bro. Did you know it takes 10,000 hours of practice and work to become a true “expert” at something? Motzart, Bill Gates and The Beatles all spent more than 10,000 hours honing their skills before their “overnight” successes. Fall in love with the practice, repetition and learning more about your craft.

Stop worrying about “THEM”

There is always a “them” no matter who you are. Maybe it’s the judge or that one family or that kid who always beats you or the people who have more income to spend on this hobby. Stop worrying about them. This isn’t about them. You can’t control them, you only have control over you and your actions. Focus on you, the things that you can control and stop wasting your energy thinking about what they are doing. Hustle and work hard on your goals. Don’t waste time or on dumb things like worrying or gossip and DON’T make excuses.

LEARN.

As you hustle, work hard, invest wisely, take care of that investment, leverage all the relationships you can and plan make sure you LEARN as you do each of these things. Be a sponge of knowledge. Because here’s the catch. If at the end of the stock show you know more than you did before, if you are a better showman, a better stockman, a better fitter, a better livestock feeder or breeder or evaluator and if you expanded your network then believe me, you won. It doesn’t matter if you left the ring with a purple banner or not. Banners, trophies, silver bowls and prize tack don’t mean anything if the things above haven’t been completed. And you know what? These tips for success don’t just apply to showing livestock. The things you’ll learn, skills you will gain and people you will meet in pursuit of your goals both in and outside the show ring will bring a higher value to your life than you could ever imagine.

Thank you for reading and good luck in your summer show season!

 

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