To some people, it's just one week of the summer where kids show off their animals and then sell them to get money for them. To an extent that is true, but there is so much more to it than that. 4-H changes your life in more ways than you will every know.

Some people just don't get it. They don't get the feeling you get when you win that first-place trophy with your animal. They don't understand why you are waking up at the crack of dawn to feed your animals. They don't get why you are on the verge of tears when you walk into the sale ring and have to say goodbye to your animal you have come attached to for the past months. They don't get what 4-H really means and that is OK.

1. It is more than just our head, heart, hands and health that are stated in our pledge

4-H is a lifestyle you live and breath. Not just for a week but all year round. It changes you for the better and sometimes for the worst when you are in the ring and your competitiveness comes out. You learn more with taking care of your animals than you will ever in your life to come.

2. It means social skills, leadership skills, and responsibility

4-H teaches social skills and how to communicate with people, whether it is the judge asking questions about your animal or the other kids in your club. 4-H also teaches you leadership skills you will use later in life, you may not think being secretary of your club for three years taught you anything but it did no matter how many times you complained about it. You also learn to be more responsible because you are the one who has to feed your animals and take care of them, your parents don't do it for you.

3. It means you have to work for it

You don't get first place without working for it. It requires working and making your animals the best they can be. You know you have to put in the effort to get what you want. It teaches you the value of hard work.

4. It means meeting new people

You will meet so many new people and become friends with people you never thought you would be friends with. You will make friendships that will last. Trust me, I am out of 4-H now and I am still friends with the people I met during my 4-H career. You will meet people from other fairs too, whether they are visiting your fair or you are visiting theirs.

5. It means you will never forget it

4-H is something that never really leaves you. Even when you are out of it, it will still be a part of you. It is something that makes you who you are, and you will be thankful for it your whole life.

6. It means making the best better

Like our motto says, "To make the best better," 4-H makes you a better person. It makes you realize the kind of person you want to be and how to be that person. It shows you that everything can be improved even if you think it is already good enough.