Does it ever feel like the more you learn-the further you are from arriving? This week I read, Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long Term Fulfillment by George Leonard. In this podcast, I read five passages and explain how I see them show up in the journey with horses. This totally explains why my recent goal setting has been a struggle. Listen to learn what mastery is...and isn't...as well as how, "To love the plateau is to love what is most essential and enduring in your life."

I love that I sound like a bit of a mess in this episode. This year I'm setting a goal that is hard to measure and even a bit of a challenge to put into words. I do a lot of journaling but this subject had me a bit stuck which is my clue that I need a little help from a friend. In this episode you'll hear Suzi help me talk through 'untangling my brain.' And joy of all joys…I actually make a connection at the end of the podcast that will echo through the rest of 2022!

Do you pause each year to reflect back on the things you did…or didn't…accomplish?

In this conversation my good friend Suzi Vlietstra helps me do just that. As you listen, I hope you reflect and can hear how we are cleaning up our thinking before starting the next. I find that bouncing ideas off a good friend, or listening in to someone doing this, can help me think about things from a new perspective. I hope this conversation does that for you.

I think there can be a magical dance between dreaming and doing.

In this podcast I discuss:

• dreaming and the nuts-and-bolts of training
• why it looks like some trainers don't like horses
• how to make progress when you aren't sure exactly what you want to do with your horse
• the idea that all disciplines share the same foundation training

The phrase "I don't know how..." is often said with a sense of defeat but it can also be freeing. 'I don't know how…but I'm going for it anyway.' What if it means you are ready to learn? If you do decide to go for it…you'll likely experience 'want', as in wanting it. 'Want' can be uncomfortable and is often tangled together with disappointment, failure, and self criticism. Have you ever practiced 'wanting'? I'll share an example of a way to develop the strength to sit with pure WANT…

Choosing a yearly theme is a great way to guide your brain in a new direction. Unlike specific goals, themes are there as a guiding principal. A theme is broad and is often something that will cross several areas of your life. Themes are also more flexible in nature because they are here to increase your awareness, there is no specific end target. If you're not a fan of goal setting consider trying a yearly theme. If you do like goal setting a yearly theme can help you reach those goals.

What would happen if you got in the habit of surprising yourself with what you are capable of? What if the SIDE EFFECT of your measurable goals…is who you want to become? What if confidence is a byproduct?

1- pick something that excites you and scares you a little 2-decide why you want to do it 3- decide why you haven't done it yet 4- list as many steps as you can think of now (this won't be accurate) 5- decide if you want to commit

AND…YOU MUST know in your bones if you're willing to do the work. Otherwise it's ok to start over with a new goal.

I see a dance between the words; thankful, grateful and compassion. When you make your 'I'm thankful for…' list, do you make it on the list? There is a good chance you don't because many people are worried about feeling vain or narcissistic. What if you could practice thankfulness and self compassion and it improved your relationship with your horse? In this podcast, I discuss thankfulness, self compassion, failure and I share an inside-out thankfulness assignment to increase awareness.

When someone makes a comment there is; what we hear, what we make it mean and how we can learn from it. A judge wrote, "You got just about every possible point out of this willing, obedient horse who is just not gifted with elasticity. Good training." Not everyone reacted the same as I did to this. I've also had people say things that I DID negatively react to. I share my thoughts on why these comments 'sting'. The true power in someone else's words comes from our interpretation of them.

Going ALL IN on a goal contains many learning opportunities. In this podcast, I discuss these three challenges and how I overcame them at the AQHA world show. 1) I was tempted to become overly focused on this one event and loose sight of the big picture. 2) I was tempted to let the results of the show determine my success. 3) I was tempted to loose hope when circumstances were NOT IDEAL.

I knew in the end, no matter the outcome, I was going to get what I came for…which was learning.