“Some of the best teachers I’ve had haven’t been human, although they have taught me a great deal about humanity.” – Anonymous
Do you remember that girl in grade school that was the horse-crazy one? Yeah, that was me. Rather than being satisfied with my book report on Palominos, I bugged my parents for horseback riding lessons. Girl from Connecticut wants a horse! News at 11. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Here’s the thing about this sport – it’s more humbling than anything. It knocks you in the dirt and shoves sand down your pants. Or, a herd of horses tramples you while you’re lying helpless on the ground (that was fun). It hands you a purple ribbon when you thought you had a blue-ribbon class. And, it always makes you put a 1,200lb animal before yourself. Horseback riding parallels a lot in life. If you ride horses, then you know that falling off is just part of the gig. I was taught from a young age that when you fall off, you ALWAYS get back on (barring a potential concussion, of course). It’s probably the most useful concept riding has taught me about life. Life is no different than falling off a horse. We’re constantly faced with challenges and failures (2020 FFS) that knock us to the ground, but as long as you pick yourself up and stare adversity in the face, you’ll be able to conquer your fears and keep learning from your mistakes. Practice, Practice, But Practice Right It’s not good enough to just practice endlessly if you’re reinforcing bad habits. I strived to make all of my riding sessions technically correct so when I competed, I could succeed under pressure. Whether you’re practicing your golf swing or perfecting your squat form or an important speech, it’s not enough to practice often, you have to practice RIGHT. Have Fun My riding instructor was very tough yelling the word “garbage” more times than I can count. I took every riding lesson seriously. I had to develop thick skin but was also reminded that horses were supposed to be fun. Sometimes, we take competition so seriously, it takes the joy out of doing what we love and can create anxiety and resentment. Life is clearly no different. The more we work or strive for something – a bigger house, a nicer car or getting that promotion – the easier it can be to forget that there are more important things in life. If we forget to have fun along the way, then what are we doing this for in the first place? Of course, having goals and striving is an admirable thing, but not if it comes at the cost of our sanity or happiness. Riding in competitions taught me that winning isn’t everything, it's about maintaining the right attitude that is required to win. Not everything has to be a competition; if it is, you may risk ruining something you love doing.
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