“Show me your horse and I will tell you who you are.”
  ~Old English saying

Have you ever had the feeling that what you were doing just wasn’t working? That's the feeling I had as I sat in the middle of the arena on Zane, the horse I was working. We just missed getting in a wreck and both of us were covered in sweat. My knee was throbbing from being run into one of the metal panels that make up the arena fence. I was getting frustrated. My progress with Zane wasn’t going the way I thought it should. Every time things started going well they would all seem to fall apart.

A close friend was visiting and had watched what went on. She saw my frustration and offered to help. She is a very talented horsewoman. We worked on Zane together for the rest of the session and by the end we were all doing well and back on track.

Even though things ended well I couldn’t let the earlier problems go. So I brought it up later. My friend asked shook her head and asked what I was so worried about.

My attempts to relive my earlier frustration were met with a bright smile and a sunny attitude.

“I saw how roughly it started,” she said. “But I also saw how well it ended.

"What is your problem?” she asked.

That’s when it hit me. I had lost focus on my purpose and direction. I allowed what I perceived as bad behavior to dictate how I was going to work with Zane. I was trying to fix him instead of teach him. Her words made me realize that Zane needed a leader not a mechanic.

From that day on I took steps each time I worked with that
horse, or any other, to make sure I stayed focused on my purpose and direction. I based all of my decisions on my goals, not on outside distractions. It’s a lesson I’ve taught others for years. And, thanks to Zane and my friend, a lesson that’s been reinvigorated in my life.

When things ‘seem to be’ going wrong with a horse or my life, I stop what I am doing and take a moment. I check the direction I’m going and make sure I am still focusing on my purpose.

Losing your focus can happen so gradually it often goes unnoticed. Identifying the big traps is easy. Sometimes those incidents are necessary to encourage us to make a change. However, most problems begin building long before the big wreck ever happens. That is why learning to focus and having a purpose and direction is so important.

By having all this in place and working, the problems can be identified early and worked out before they become a wreck.

Working with horses has taught me a lot about building a successful life. The three most important lessons are:
  1. Have a clear picture of the goal. A clear mental picture provides the purpose and direction.
  2. Don’t let the expectations of others prevent you from doing the right thing. When you know your direction, don't be swayed.
  3. Stay on track and you’ll finish strong. Even when it seems bleak stay the course, you can't finish if you veer off course.
Your ability to focus independent of what others are thinking, feeling and saying is the key to success. Focus and direction drive results. Looking back I can see that every horse I’ve worked with over the years has provided a piece to the puzzle of building a successful life.

Who are your teachers? What lessons is life teaching you?