There is a moment before every big decision where the noise gets loud.
Voices of doubt. Opinions from others. Expectations you place on yourself. Expectations you think everyone else has for you. The what ifs. The fear of getting it wrong.
In agriculture, those moments are not hypothetical. They are real. They sit with you in the pickup before you step out to handle something you did not plan for. They stand beside you in the field when the forecast shifts. They follow you into the office when numbers do not add up. They show up when the decision in front of you carries weight beyond just yourself.
In those moments, the most important voice you will ever hear is your own. The steady, quiet one that reminds you that you were created with purpose.
Trusting yourself does not mean you have it all figured out. It does not mean you are fearless. It does not mean you will never fail. Trusting yourself means believing that you are capable of learning. That you are resilient enough to recover. That you can walk into a room and belong there, even if your hands are shaking.
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to second guess ourselves. We wait for permission. We wait for validation. We wait for someone to tell us we are ready.
But readiness rarely feels like confidence. Often it feels like growth.
It stretches us beyond what feels comfortable. It puts responsibility in our hands before we feel fully ready. It reveals strength we did not know we had.
You were not placed in this industry by accident. You were not given responsibility by chance. Someone saw something in you. More importantly, there is something in you that is already capable.
Trusting yourself is a daily decision. It is choosing to speak kindly to yourself when you fall short. It is choosing to try again when something does not go as planned. It is choosing to listen to your values when outside opinions try to pull you in every direction. It is believing that you are right where you need to be.
Leadership is not about having the loudest voice in the room. It is about having the courage to follow the quiet one inside you.
As you move through this year, whether you are making a difficult decision, stepping into a new role, taking a risk, or simply showing up when it would be easier not to, I challenge you to trust yourself.
Trust that you are growing.
Trust that you are learning.
Trust that you are enough.
Sincerely,
Kendall Holcomb
2025-2026 Oregon FFA State Reporter
