Letter from the editor

Michael Jordan failed to make his high school basketball team as a sophomore. At age 62, Harland Sanders pitched his chicken recipe to restaurants and was rejected 1,009 times. After reading two scripts, HBO told Taylor Sheridan that no one would watch his TV show, Yellowstone.

But none of these hugely successful people gave up after rejection. Six-time NBA champion and five-time MVP Michael Jordan is considered to be the best basketball player that ever laced up shoes and took the court.

Colonel Sanders suffered defeat after defeat in his lifetime. After being fired from multiple jobs, he opened a roadside restaurant at a service station at age 40. When the interstate system was built and traffic was rerouted, Sanders was driven out of business at a great financial loss. Now at age 62, he got back up and pitched his chicken franchise idea to receive another round of rejection. Finally, a Utah entrepreneur agreed and paid him four cents a chicken. When that failed, he developed his patented eight-minute pressure-cooked fried chicken and hit the road to sell his process and secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. Now, Kentucky Fried Chicken is world-famous. At 73 years old, he sold his business for what would now be worth nearly $17 million. His iconic look of a white suit and black string tie is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet.

Yellowstone is now the most-watched television show on all networks and has a cult-like following. Earlier this year, Sheridan inked a deal with Paramount Plus for five more shows.

My point is that we are all going to face rejection and struggles in life. Personally, my road turned rough and bumpy over the past seven years after being in a mass layoff and a car wreck that left me with permanent disabilities. Although circumstances changed my plans, I haven’t given up and I believe the best of life is still to come. It’s in these challenging times that we find value in the grit and tenacity that we have developed by being in an industry that is not for the faint of heart.

In the quote below by legendary football coach Lou Holtz, he encouraged his players to get focused on working on the things under their control and to author their own destiny. You can’t control all that happens to you, but you can control how you react.

So, if that amazing heifer doesn’t develop like you thought or your 4-H or FFA speech doesn’t go the way you wanted it to, what matters is that you get back up — again and again and again. When a door closes, you’ll find a new door that opens. Just like diamonds, we can find a beauty within when we persevere over pressure. Never give up on the fact that tomorrow is a new day, and you get another chance to try again. Live your best life,

Lisa Bryant