Why Effective People Are Effective

"The most effective people know who they are and why it matters."

The above quote is the one thing that Wisconsin FFA's Half-Time Conference guest speakers, Gena and Andrea, wanted the members to take away from their presentation. Their chosen topic hit home for me immediately and I thought, "I need to write a blog about this."

Why does it matter that we know who we are? Essentially, as you probably already guessed, it matters because you are a more effective person. It also matters because in my experience, people who know who they are have always been genuinely happy. And who does not want to be genuinely happy?

Take a moment and think about the most effective people you know in your life. Why are they effective? When I think about the people in my life who are effective, I consider them to be effective because they know who they are and why it matters. There is nothing better in life than having the confidence to know that you know who you are. When I think back to my late years of middle school and early years of high school, I cannot even come up with an answer to who I was because I did not know why it mattered.

Now I am a 21 year old college student. I know who I am. I know what I want to do with my life. I know who and what is important to me. I know what my values are. I surround myself with people I love and people who have a positive effect on me. I fill my life with things that keep me happy. I have the confidence to step away from something that I think is wrong or don't agree with. I have goals and ambitions. Life has its own battles at this age that you do not have to deal with when you are younger (like bills and grocery shopping), but the one thing that is very different for me is that I know who I am and why it matters. Knowing this allows me to be effective in the things I do.

By knowing all of these things, it allows me to not only be effective, but also to be happy with myself. It allows me to share my happiness with others; it allows me to be happy with my life. Knowing this creates a desire in me to help others know that things like this in life, which seems unattainable to some, are very possible. If you find yourself struggling to answer that question, "Who am I?" take a step back in life and surround yourself with the things that truly mean the most to you. Even if the things that truly mean the most to you are not the popular choice...who cares! Your personal happiness allows you to be an effective person which is something we should all aspire for and be proud of.

I'll leave you with one closing thought by the one and only Dr. Seuss: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."