"What I See"

Howdy Friends!

My mare Kessy looking to me, and all of us ...

When I look at a horse I see the horse it can be, wants to be. Somehow I look right beyond the stiffness, lacking posture or inverted body carriage ... Much like a sculptor who looks at a chunk of granite and chips away all the tiny pieces hiding the beauty of the masterpiece that lays hidden beneath. The artist sees the beauty from the inside out, and reveals it to the world. That is how I see every horse I meet, and I know by chipping away at the stiffness, unbalanced body carriage and uncertainty ... we can reveal and empower the beauty, grace and splendor that lay inside yearning to be free. It’s not about training–it is about freedom and comfort of confident movement. ~ www.itsforthehorses.com

 

Gitty Up, Dutch. 

"Your Idea is a Good One! —Motivational Monday"

Howdy Friends,
 

Often we have good, or great ideas, thoughts, plans and positions and find ourselves doubting them. Others tell us we are wrong, too complicated, too risky, perhaps controversial. Then self doubt creeps in. Next uncertainty, sometimes leading to defeatism.

Me admiring President Monroe's grand oak, and the man, on Independence Day

Have you ever seen an acorn sprout? Tiny little white, fragile stem pushing its way from the acorn shell. It’ll have a dainty green leaf on top. That tiny sprout will one day be a majestic towering oak. It will of course take years, perhaps centuries, but without out an ounce of self doubt it will reach for the sky. Every day.

This Independence Day, Robbie and I toured President Monroe’s home The Highlands, in the front yard stood a grand white oak estimated to be over 300 hundred years old. Some speculate James Monroe chose the exact location for his house because of that tree, which of course would have been nearing the century mark at that time. Think of that tree, and that man—neither wavered from their ideas and convictions. Admire their accomplishments.

Second guessing ourselves is of course a part of human nature, and sometimes it can prevent mistakes. Second guessing though can also chip away at confidence, drive ... and success.

It is wholly correct to permit, and use, caution as a tool to refine and enhance a thought, idea or strategy, but it must also be managed in a way that it becomes an asset, not a hindrance.

Your idea was a good one, there is a reason it came to you. Stick to it and become a mighty oak!

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

"Indecisiveness, does it second guess you?"—Motivational Monday

Howdy Friends,

We all struggle sometimes with making decisions, especially really tough decisions. Tough decisions require a ponderence of thought, or we would not consider them tough. Some choices, ideas, strategies and decisions are far to important to skim over, take lightly. Some are not so weighty and we can make them in a blink of an eye, for instance deciding whether or not to grab and extra 5 minutes sleep before starting the day, should not take too much thought.

However taking the entire day off from work might require a bit more consideration. What if the question was not only taking the day off, but to quit your job? What if quitting your job was only part of the thinking? What if added to that was the idea of starting a whole new career? Maybe it would involve a move to a new town, or state. What about the children, school, friends and family, and security of sameness? Interesting isn’t it how layers can stack up, thicker, heavier and more cumbersome.

For some folks making decisions, no matter how involved or serious, is as easy as changing channels on the TV. For others just the thought of changing those channels is reason for hesitation, stress and uncertainty. In their mind they can build layers of questions, reasons pro and con. Sometimes they can talk themselves completely out of changing the channel, or anything else in life, simply by building walls of indecisiveness.

What do those folks possess who always seem to find decision making no big deal? A crystal ball? Probably not, but in most cases folks who wrestle with indecisiveness also struggle with self esteem. They are afraid to trust themselves, their own opinions, ideas and feelings. 

Simple decisions for some folks become layers upon layers of random, and not too random thoughts, problems, and created pitfalls in their thoughts. It is not hard to wrestle with doubt and worry on big decisions like changing careers and moving, but a decision on a movie, a TV channel, or even a new car, should not have the power to hold a person hostage.

Confidence, that more than anything can cure indecisiveness.

How does one build confidence? Simply by telling themselves they are in charge, and taking instant command of the little choices. Just make them. Toss that self-doubt out the window, go for it. The more often you make choices, the more confidence builds, and the easier it becomes. Here’s a little shared secret, folks who don’t have any problem with making decisions are wrong as often as anyone else—they just don’t let that stop them, they take it in stride. They understand not all their decisions will be winners, so they don’t let that worry keep them from finding the ones that are.

So if you sometimes, or all the time, struggle with making decisions remember, no matter how hard you ponder you’re going to be correct some of the time, and not so correct some of the time. Begin by going with your gut. It is often said the first thought you have is the correct one, and I have found that to be most always the case.

Now this is not to say you should forget about due diligence, we can’t run around making brash decisions willy nilly, with no intelligent thought. But building layers of self-questioning delays is a sure way to chip away at a person’s self confidence. There is no future in that. Whereas moving always ahead, being decisive builds confidence, and success. Go for it!

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry 

P.S. ~ You might also want to read, Motivational Monday—“What is Fear?”

"Motivational Monday" ... Determination-Dig in and Win!

Howdy Friends, 

That little bird was determined to secure a long strand of Kessy’s tail hair for her nest. I had just settled into my Coffee Clutch chair next to Kessy, Saturday by my side and Lil’ Bit on my lap. Kessy worked on her hay, Saturday fought back sleep, Lil’ Bit purred, but watched intently the tiny brown bird.

This tiny Carolina Wren would win!

When I brush Kessy and comb her thick long black tail and mane, I gather the hairs and pile them on an oak tree fork for the birds to use as nesting material. I wedge them there so they’ll stay and birds of all kind use them. The phoebes in the barn line their nests with Kessy hair, red-eyed vireos do too, and every fall we find another one or two neat little nests with a blanket of black tail hair woven snuggly inside. We have a little collection of bird nests on the back porch all with Kessy’s hair as the finishing touch.

So determined was the little wren to collect her horse hair building material she managed to dislodge the ball from the tree crotch, and drop it to the ground. She descended immediately upon it, grasped the most perfect strand and began hopping backwards, but the entire wad of hair simply bounced along with her.

For a second it seemed she’d made progress, until Lil’ Bit could stand no more, and leaped from my lap to stalk the tiny industrious bird. Mrs. Wren let go her prize and flitted safely to a branch. Lil’ Bit gave the tempting hair pile a respectable investigation then wondered away to do whatever young cats do on early morning romps.

Mrs. Wren was back on the hair ball in an instant, falling from the tree would not stop her, and surely no curious feline with a limited attention span mattered much, so back to her task she must go. After all, somewhere in one of our buildings she had a nest to complete. Deeply restored in her endeavor she had managed to nearly jerk lose a most perfect strand—then our guinea fowl came cackling, strutting and bouncing her way. Forced by yet another interruption and hurdle to achieving her goal, Mrs. Wren flew to her safe haven branch, then from sight.

I wondered if she might give up, after all it seemed a colossal effort for a single strand of horse hair, no matter how magnificent. Then almost as quickly as the guineas wandered away the tough little bird swooped from the thick mat of green forest wall to the wad of horse hair. She wasted no time in finding the single hair she’d nearly freed from the ball, tugged, tugged and tugged and finally flew away with her prize trailing in the wind behind her like a kite’s tail.

I was about to pour my second cup of Folgers, most Coffee Clutch gatherings are at least 2 cuppers, when she reappeared fussing over that bundle of horse tail hair. I happen to know a perfect nest requires more than a few strands of hair. And I had no doubt Mrs. Wren would eventually have all she needed, she has the determination that will guarantee success.

We all have that same determination within in us. Some of us can, no matter the challenge dig deep and like Mrs. Wren, keep coming back until we too have grasped our prize or accomplished our goal. All of though have also said, “That’s enough, I’m done.” And sometimes that’s the correct choice.

But if we give up after a few set backs on something too important and our inner self tells us to keep trying, follow a new direction, give it another attempt, then it is best to follow that inner voice. Think of this tiny brown bird, all her set-backs, and her determination and find the drive inside to make hardship, bad breaks and obstacle, merely interruptions and learning curves. Dig in and win!

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry

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