Winters are always tough for equestrians with the weather, thick winter coats or high management clips and rugs, relentless mud making everything that bit harder….. Then this year, we need to add a basically non-existent summer season gone, lockdown restrictions with no end date, related personal stress and a questionable future season ahead. Why are we all so surprised we are struggling?
Why am I frustrated by how lazy, flat, unmotivated and unproductive I feel at the moment? Even as I typed the above, I was thinking it is definitely understandable. As you can hear, my brain has been more of a minefield than normal with everything going on but the other night I had a moment of clarity – we need to power through or pin it.
What is your goal? Why do you ride? Why do you compete? Why do you have a horse? Have you considered it recently? Right now, being clear on what our goal is is more important than ever. We need something to act like a beacon of hope or a lighthouse in a storm. And then the question to ask yourself is this: Is my goal big enough that I can keep going even when I am not enjoying it?
If we are truly connected with our purpose and if our goal is really driving us then it can help us to get through the tough times if we let it. We can power through the toughest of times if we keep the fire in mind.
The other option is to pin it. Sometimes something just isn’t right for you right now and putting it on hold is not a bad thing. And putting things on hold doesn’t even mean it’s not important to you, it is not a failure, it’s not a weakness, it’s just a pause. And if a global pandemic isn’t enough of an excuse to need a pause then I don’t know what is.
Basically, what I am trying to say is please be kind to yourself right now. Whether you decide to refocus and power through or whether you need to hibernate and pin things for now, both are absolutely fine and…. neither of them need to be permanent either!
Personally, I am focusing on smaller steps towards goals right now. Reading, learning, trying little things because that’s all I have the capacity for right now to offer. Powering through but on a smaller engine than normal. What about you?
