Written By Eliza Truel, NALJA Secretary

You have heard the saying “it takes a village” and that is never truer than in this industry. Since starting college, I realized how much work every person in my family does.

You never understand how much your family does for you to succeed until you take a step back. Especially in an industry like this, it is definitely a team effort. From the parents and grandparents standing ringside at shows to the parents or others in the barns everyday with you or when you can’t be there yourself, even the people you may not call mom or dad but are still always there for you in whatever way we may possibly need.

I used to think I needed to do everything by myself to make sure I was successful, but I quickly realized that was not the case, no one person succeeds solely on their own. This applies to many aspects of life, sometimes you have to step back and accept or just ask for help.  I am guilty of trying to do it all on my own but that normally results in feeling overwhelmed with all the things that need to be done and, in the end, nothing gets done perfectly just because I am only one person. This would often lead to disappointment.

I have learned that letting others help you lightens the load and makes it life much more enjoyable. You have to be willing to accept help from others because in the end, it really does take a village.

“Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”-Vince Lombardi.