I was raised in rural Texas where it's not uncommon to see pasture after pasture of grazing cattle along the county roads and FM highways.

Our family owns and operates a commercial cow-calf operation. This means we retain a permanent herd of cattle that produces an annual calf crop. Along with our commercial cows, we also own a herd of Red Angus cattle. This herd has grown from the very first red angus heifer we purchased to start out my show career in the third grade.

Through the years, I exhibited cattle at many weekend shows, major stock shows such as Ft. Worth and Houston, and our local county show. I soaked up every moment and friendship that came with each show I attended.

I loved showing because it gave me a chance to showcase my cattle while learning life lessons along the way:

1. Practice makes perfect.

Exhibiting a large animal in a show arena full of spectators is not the easiest thing in the world. It’s absolutely crucial that your animal sets up correctly for the judge to get a good look. The more you practice with that animal before the show, the better it will perform.

2. Overcoming Anxiety.

Better performance is achieved when you learn how to control your nerves. Especially when in the show ring. Cattle can sense when you're anxious. My dad was always quick to remind that your stress will stress the animal. I had to learn how to remain cool and collected when entering every show ring in order to keep my heifer at ease.

3. Stay Humble.

When your hard work turns into a victory of winning your class, you enjoy the satisfaction of hard work paying off, but you stay humble. When it's not your day, you be a gracious loser and the first one to congratulate the winner.

4. Teamwork.

To be a good showman, you and your animal must know each other. You have to earn each other's trust and respect. Your animal will not respond to you if it does not trust you. This trust is nurtured and built through the many hours spent working with it in the show barn.

5. Hard Work Pays Off.

Just like in sports - it's true you play like you practice. You have to put in the hours to ultimately achieve success. Nothing comes easy. There is nothing quite like the accomplished feeling of taking a heifer from the pasture and then having her stand for evaluation in a show arena.

6. Determination.

When things go wrong in the ring, you don't give up. Animals will be animals and sometimes they act up. Sometimes things just happen that are beyond your control. If your animal doesn't cooperate in the ring one day, you become more determined to do better the next time.

I am thankful for what showing has taught me and can't wait to pass along this family tradition and lessons learned to my own kids one day.