Know Your Limits -- and Potential, By Dale Sandlin

KNOW your limits -- and potential

By Dale Sandlin

A couple of weeks ago, M’Randa, Emmy and I got an invitation to have a play date, adults and kids alike, with the Henrys at the trampoline park. It sounded fun, at least on the surface, as a chance to jump around with my daughter and get to spend time with friends. However, I was quickly taken aback at what lay before me when I entered. I had never been to a trampoline park before – and for those who, like me, have never been to one, I’ll set the scene: bright, colorful lights; trampolines not only across the floor but partially up the wall; a foam pit with a balance beam across it; two slam-dunk options; a progressively difficult obstacle course and dodge ball court with a trampoline floor. Getting on the simple trampolines across the floor, I began jumping with Emmy. At first, it was fun; but the longer it went on, I found myself conflicted. My heart was saying, “Do a flip – remember what it was like to be a kid again.” My head was saying, “if you do that, we’re going to the hospital.” After a couple of hours of jumping, running and playing with a 4-year-old, I realized that I’m not as young as I used to be and that I had found my limits.

It’s sometimes hard to know what your limits are. For most of us, we don’t find out until it’s too late. Others, though, seem to have no limits; their abilities seem to know no bounds. One such limitless example is Charles Lindbergh. The man most renowned for the first solo transatlantic flight – in the airplane that he helped design, the “Spirit of St. Louis” – had another significant accomplishment. Shortly after that historic flight, Lindbergh quietly went to work in the medical field, designing a centrifuge – called a “perfusion pump” – for the extremely delicate task of keeping organs alive outside the body. For two years, he toiled at the latter invention, which would allow the heart to remain viable outside of the body for surgery. This secret yet groundbreaking work, in conjunction with Dr. Alexis Carrel, laid the foundation for later breakthroughs in open-heart surgery, organ transplants, and the artificial heart. Lindbergh made this historic contribution while continuing as a key consultant in aviation. When called upon to rise to the occasion, the sky was not the limit for Charles Lindbergh.

We can all rise to the occasion if we try. Gov. Kemp, at a campaign rally in October, offered the following encouragement: “Do not underestimate your individual abilities.” Each of us has a role to play within the association – and our common role is to encourage others to become members. There are approximately 15,000 cattle producers in Georgia, and GCA currently has approximately 5,500 members. If we could grow our membership to 10,000 members, we would double our organization’s impact within our state and significantly grow our ability to provide membership services. If we were able to secure all 15,000 cattle producers, we would triple our impact. Your encouragement may be all that a neighbor or friend might need to join our organization.

I found my limits that day at the trampoline park – or at least my body’s limits. Be like Lindbergh and strive for more than just the limits of the status quo. Consider Gov. Kemp’s advice and take to heart your full potential by reaching out to a prospective member today. If we’re all working together, there is no limit to the impact of our organization.