When I started my journey to become a Horseman, I had what I thought was a very clear picture of what that meant. As I gained experience I realized my picture was very basic and needed to be refined. That basic picture, however, gave me the purpose and direction I needed to get started.

Building a clear picture is like putting  together a puzzle. All of the experiences in my life to that point had been pieces used to make the picture. Remember the puzzles we played with as children? The wood ones with the pieces that had little handles and guilds to help us get them in straight. The pictures were usually cartoon like, maybe a cowboy on his horse or a dog playing. Fun pictures that were easy to understand.

That was how my original picture started. I knew I needed to learn so I started looking for ways to gain experience. Books, movies, people who owned horses, anything and anybody I thought would help. All these experiences gave me new pieces for my picture. What I found was they wouldn't fit in the puzzle that made up my picture. The new pieces were smaller and refined. Not much, but enough that I needed to redo my picture. That was tough because I had to admit my first picture wasn't as complete as I thought it was.

My next big change came when I got my first actual job working with horses. I didn't just have to build a new picture, my old picture was turned up side down and the pieces were scattered every where. Talk about humbling. I was determined, however, to become a horseman. So I swallowed my pride and continued on. The pieces of my puzzle were getting smaller and  smaller. I really had to work to get them all put together, but the the picture was getting clearer.

Then I met my friend Buck and I knew my picture would never be the same. Meeting Buck not only turned my picture upside down and scattered all the pieces, it gave me a much clearer picture to work toward. This doesn't mean things got easier. As a matter of fact sometimes they got harder, but each time I worked through a challenge my picture got clearer and more refined.

For me, building a clear picture is away of life. It is not just a goal it is a journey. Every horse I work with, person I help, wreck I get in, or success I have, provides new pieces to my puzzle that are smaller and more refined. At first this process was a bit frustrating. My ego wasn't always willing to let go of my old pictures. Now sometimes I will turn my own picture upside down just for fun. This is how I get better. The journey is what is important to me.  

Here are five points to remember as you build your clear picture:

1. Live your dreams. Life is to short to do anything else.
2. Seek help. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Find people who are already doing what you want to do and learn from them. Find a mentor. Books, videos and classes are also good resources.
3. Pay your dues. No one owes anybody anything. We all must work for what we want.
4. Don't get discouraged. Building a clear picture takes work. It is natural for it to grow and become more refined. Don't be afraid to let go of old pictures as you new ones develop. If you can't let go you will never grow.
5. Learn to enjoy the journey. Every aspect of life will provide pieces to your puzzle. Even the hard times are important. They sometimes provide us with our most important pieces.  My dad always tells me," If it was easy everybody would be doing it or nobody would want to." The best things in life take work.

So what is your picture? Are you living your dream? If not, you should be. Life is a journey ... Travel well.