In sports we train our bodies to react in a certain
way. In soccer we spend hours practicing
footwork and ball handling skills – repeating the patterns over until they
become second nature to us. Baseball
player’s meticulously practice their swing.
We spend hours in the gym bettering our bodies to accomplish the
movements necessary to excel in our sport.
Sometimes our biggest challenge isn’t learning the movements, or
becoming better, faster, and stronger.
Sometimes the biggest challenge we run into is overcoming our own
mentality.
For years I couldn’t afford a horse, let alone one talented
enough to be competitive at the upper levels.
Rugby changed this. At 2 years
old, completely un-started in his training, he showed tremendous
potential. He and I connected
immediately, and I knew my competitive future was with him. As exciting as that
feeling was, it has also been one of my biggest challenges. I know how much potential he has, and I worry
about screwing up his training. This hesitation
and lack of confidence on my behalf, instills nervousness in him. Being a young horse and learning everything
for the first time, he looks to me to be secure and confident, helping to
instill the same mentality in him.
The last few weeks I have decided to ride completely alone
in the arena. I turn our local pop music
station up loud and dance with my horse across the arena. Oddly enough, knowing that no one is there to
see me screw up, or to help if something were to go wrong provides the right
atmosphere for me to push myself, and thus my horse, through that nervousness. The first time, my legs were literally
shaking. The next time, I think I
remembered to breath. Today, I had a
friend come and sit and watch me ride, who jokingly told me to stop smiling. We are taking baby steps, but that is
progress.
So how to you overcome your mental blocks?
