Their Moment
Clayton Moore
2023-2024 Idaho FFA State Treasurer
My very first chapter officer team I applied for.
Just a few seconds can separate us from who we are, were, or can be. We are faced with these few defining seconds every day. We can let them pass or we can act, making a difference. “All I need is my moment” was my mantra when I was elected to my first chapter officer position. I viewed chapter office as my chance to make an impact. I was doing something. It was finally my moment to be something. Oftentimes, these are the feelings that we associate with zipping up our very own blue jackets. It gives us confidence, taking us anywhere and allowing us to do anything. Have you ever waited for your perfect moment, such as chapter office, like I did? In the rush of excitement and emotions, what I forgot was that the best leaders don’t decide which moments people need them in. Little did I know that these moments of need were all around me, whether I was in blue corduroy or not.
Fast forward to the spring of my junior year of high school. My alarm clock rang at 3:30 am sharp. I sprang out of bed because this morning I was flying to Atlanta, Georgia for my first-ever national conference planning meeting. Not to mention, this conference was based on leadership and giving back to members. I felt like I had made it. Just like that, it was freshman year again and I couldn’t wait for my chance to make a difference. This was my moment. After boarding my plane and cranking some T Swift, I promptly drifted to sleep. Which was short-lived as I was abruptly awoken by the pilot welcoming us to the great state of Minnesota! With a long list of missed connecting flights that followed, mine being no exception.
40 of us filed into the Delta Help Desk line when I had a lightbulb moment. I’ll just call the helpline, have them schedule me a flight, and skip the wait. I call and hear, “Hello, how can I help…” when suddenly I feel a tap on my shoulder. It was a girl, around my age, also stranded. She asked if I knew how to find her a flight. I responded, “You can try calling the helpline or wait here, but it looks like we’re out of options”. Another 15 minutes go by and I end the call, more defeated and out of options than before.
My eyes fell to the floor. All I could think was “Why me, why now? Out of all the moments in the world, this was mine to help someone.” I looked up and saw the same girl from before. She was sitting on the ground, crying. I went over, sat next to her, and we cried together on the floor of the Minneapolis airport. But it was also together that we waited in line and both eventually found flights.
Every single thing that I feared could go wrong that day, did. This was supposed to be my day to make a change. While in my few seconds of frustration, I chose to ignore my true opportunity to help someone else. Adversity can blindside us from seeing that even when we are overcoming our own challenges, there are still those who need us. We cannot wait for our moment to make a difference in someone else's life. There is not a special time when the stars align and the perfect opportunity presents itself on a silver platter. If we wait for that, we’ll miss every opportunity to make a difference along the way. Mine happened to be on a pretty bad day, but I still had the power to make somebody else’s day better.
“It’s far too easy for us to focus on the things impacting our lives to the point we strip ourselves of the power to impact the lives of others.”
It’s far too easy for us to focus on the things impacting our lives to the point where we strip ourselves of the power to impact the lives of others. No one made a change in someone else’s life by focusing on themselves. I didn’t help the girl in the airport by finding her a flight. I helped by being there. Being there for them doesn’t have a roadmap, certain look, or feel, but it starts with being there. No event, officer position, or time is going to give us the power to make that difference. Change is up to us to create. Regardless of where we are or what our circumstances are: need is all around us. We have to be here for their moment.