In The Stirrups – January 2015
In the Stirrups Magazine – January 2015 is out.
My article entitled ‘This Business of Dressage’ is the second part of a two part series looking at a business like approach to your training. It is very motivational can be found on page 29 through to page 31. I have, however, replicated the article below for you, but please take a look at the magazine, it has some great stuff, including …
- A round up from The London International Horse Show at Olympia 2014
- A great article from Anne Gage on Confident Horsemanship
- Mirrors for Heroes – a story about Mirrors for Training donating to Help for Heroes
and much, much more …
THIS BUSINESS OF DRESSAGE – PART 2
In my last article I made a number of comparisons between business values and how they can be applied to your dressage journey. This month I am continuing that theme with BIG thinking. I have been relatively successful in business and it occurred to me that a businesslike approach to training would not only bring a fresh look at everything but also might just be a little thought provoking.
2015 has arrived and many of us will all be looking to either continue our good work with our horses or find some renewed vigour in our training. So, why not think BIG? Stretch yourself and go for it! Here are some more great business leadership ideas that you could help you find your personal greatness as a rider.
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CONSIDER FEAR AS GROWTH
Fear is scary, right? When it surfaces our instinct is to run away, avoid and consider it as a bad thing. But why not try to think of it as an opportunity, a gift really. What if, the things that scare you are spectacular opportunities to discover more about who you are meant to be? Overcoming your fears leads to confidence, self-respect, helps promotes growth and makes you better – at everything!
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DREAM BIG
The very nature of dreaming big dreams and stretching yourself beyond the norm is dangerous in the sense that you leave the place where you feel safest; you leave your comfort cocoon you will, without doubt, fail more! But part of winning is the failure you experience on the way. Your big dream means you risk more to reach your peak in performance. So when you fall (metaphorically), get back up, dust yourself off – and off you go again en-route to success.
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YOU FIND WHAT YOU SEEK
Every second you spend thinking about what you don’t want is a second denying focus and energy from getting what you do want. Why worry about what’s not working when you could be creating what will work. Stop reflecting on the disappointments of the past and look to the possibilities that the future holds.
Clarity precedes mastery and the clearer you are about what you want, the more powerfully you generate that in your riding. Your thinking creates your reality; your thoughts form your world. Why? because you will never act against your thinking. Every action is the offspring of your thoughts.
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SUCCESS VIA SIMPLICITY
I love what the co-founder of Google recently said: “Success will come from simplicity.” It fits with the ethos of The Crystal System. Most riders struggle with the complexity of what they need to do; more conflicting instructions; more and ever complicated explanations; more flowery speak. The best riders can see through those that try to impress with ‘techie talk’, the best riders understand what it is they are aiming for and do fewer but smarter things to get there. They get wonderfully focused and try in every endeavour to get to the heart of the matter, discarding any unnecessary chaos along the way.
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ACHIEVE LONGEVITY IN BUSINESS DRESSAGE
- Do you have a lust for learning? The cure for aging that actually works is called lifelong learning! To always be learning really helps you to stay young forever, at least in your thinking. Dressage is a lifelong lesson, there is no final destination. The best riders have boundless curiosity and open minds and this allows them to work with a childlike sense of wonder. They read and research constantly. They understand that everyone they meet knows at least one thing that they don’t. So they ask good questions. This passion makes them a sponge for learning.
- Have you stopped improving? Success is seductive but it can make you complacent and inefficient and stale. Too often, once a person gains a modicum of success, the very things that created that success get neglected. The best riders have a hunger to make every day better than yesterday. They are relentless in their pursuit of improvement.
- Is your Health your Wealth? Most of us take our health for granted. That is until we lose it and if we do, we spend 24/7 trying to get it back. Getting into world-class physical condition will make you more creative, energetic, focused, happy and a better rider!
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THE BIG QUESTION
It is a well known fact that adversity introduces us to ourselves. When faced with difficulty, obstacles and stumbling blocks we get to see what we are made of. We get to see our strengths and our weaknesses. Hard times always pass but they serve us so well, they deliver wisdom and teach us understanding. As you navigate your way through these difficulties what should you be asking yourself? Well, here’s the BIG question …
“What is The Lesson Here?”
Draw on your setbacks to make you more knowledgeable, better, wiser.
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THE BIG IDEA
You may not know how powerful you are but each and every one of us has so many more choices than we can currently see. We see the world not as it is but as we are. Most of us are looking through the eyes of our fears and our limiting beliefs and our false assumptions.
As you think about your limiting beliefs, you’ll see that they are not the truth but the opinions you adopted and if you question your assumptions, you’ll realise that so many of them are just not true or real!
You are the master of your thought; you will mould your character; you are the maker and shaper of your destiny. Just allow your mind some expansion room, the possibilities are endless.
What a great idea! Until next time, have fun.
Patricia – The Dressage Tipster
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