15 Days to Go!

Yesterday I realized that I only have 11 more days of work at Agriculture Future of America and 15 days total. It is amazing how fast the time passed! As my internship comes to a close, I have realized the innate sense of pride I have developed for this organization. All of the writing and meetings have solidified AFA's critical mission in my mind. Having the opportunity to contribute to the personal and professional development of young leaders and re-branding agriculture has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you to everyone at AFA for believing in my ability and pushing my limits. I have learned so much from each one of you.

Yesterday I received the first proof of the 2008 AFA Annual Report!!! It felt like Christmas morning in July. It was incredible to see all of the pieces come together. After numerous drafts of content, multiple design meetings with Brian ("the design guy") and contradicting opinions from the AFA staff -- the report came together beautifully. It was certainly a lesson in patience, time management, teamwork, communication and compromise, but the final product would not have been the same without all of the hurdles. My take away lesson from this project is to soak up constructive criticism like a sponge, but have confidence in your abilities. It is so important to learn from other people -- most of the time you will emerge from the challenges with a better result.

I am interested to hear an important lesson you discovered this summer. Please post your responses via the comment link below.