Superhero. Super Who? Super YOU!

The above title was the theme for the 2012 Area III Leadership Camp this year. I must say, we could not have selected a more appropriate title.

You see, with the recent release of the box office hit "The Avengers", we had many idealistic superheros flying around in our minds. However, after Area Camp was over with, I realized that our predetermined definition of a superhero wasn't very realistic. Superheros don't fly, have super strength, or swing from skyscraper to skyscraper with spider webs. The superheros that truly exist and matter in our lives don't even have capes... Well, except for the ones that they fashioned out of pillow camps before camp started. The superheros that I know are people like the great District Officers that I got to meet and work with on June 13 and 14.

I learned so much from these officers, both within mine and Brooklynn's workshop, as well as watching how they interacted and worked with each other. I know that is cheesy sounding. When I had the people in charge of conferences and camps say that in the past, I always shrugged it off as something that they were supposed to say. But I now know that I can learn more from these eager leaders than I could from the most experienced leaders out there.

I'm not saying that the experienced ones are unimportant; I have learned SO much from them. Rather, this is a type of learning experience unparalleled to any you can get. In order to highlight what one can learn in this situation, I will share the most important lesson that was learned by me at Area Camp. One District Officer had said during one workshop rotation that her ultimate goal as an officer this year was simply to learn. She wanted to take in as many leadership skills, personal relationships, and professional qualities as she could in order to give back to those who believed in her abilities. This way, she could give that same passion and motivation to others who may have never wanted to previously.

So, that is what I want to do this year: learn. I want to learn, as well as inspire those who are already leaders to lead more; those who are aspiring leaders to become leaders; those who say they can't lead into individuals who say they can lead; and those who believe in only others into people who believe in others as well as themselves.

Superheros defy all expectations, so follow their lead and break free from the limits set on you by others. As the Texas FFA State Convention's theme says, "It Starts Here, It Starts Now." What will you do to make a difference?