If you're like me, you have probably found yourself staring at your computer screen in the last week or two, unable to muster the motivation to do much of anything, much less go see and play with your horse?
When your world is filled with uncertainty, motivation plummets downward. Your subconscious mind is nervous about many negative scenarios, and your inner voice keeps a running monologue on the futility of doing something that ‘might not produce any results.’
Can you relate?
There are ways that you can keep growing your motivation and relationship with your horse.
You just need to recognize and learn new methods during these times, both strategic and emotional.
Here are 3 strategic tips for finding horse-time motivation:
1. You usually feel motivated, for short periods of time, at your highest energy part of the day. Focus on playing with your horse during your most motivated time. Mine is 9:00am to 1:00pm. It might be morning for you, or maybe late at night (harder to schedule unless you have a barn and lights). The important thing to recognize is that that high energy time period is your most likely time to be productive.
Use these periods of motivation to uncover your dreams and goals. Use this time to brainstorm and to be creative about the things and goals you want to accomplish with your horse. Make lists of the results you want to achieve, without worrying about the ‘hows’.
2. Break down each dream and goal into small chunks.
Once your dreams and goals are recorded during your focused motivation time, you can be more practical about how those will happen. You may want to chunk down that time to create a list of ‘things that I need to do to make this happen’ – in other words, a project plan. A training plan.
3. When you’re training and building your relationship with your horse, you’re usually wearing many different hats. Sometimes you’re guiding and learning from the relationship. Other times you’re doing the tedious, technical work. Recognizing the difference between these two types of activities is critical to being productive, especially when motivation is not high.
During your focused motivated times, make your big decisions about goals and projects. Identify the projects that you want to work on. Get guidance from your mentor/coach/instructor (me!), and make a plan.
During the other times, you become the 'worker bee', learning and practicing the technical work. You’re following orders – you’re your own ‘employee,’ and since the work you are doing tends to be more step-driven, and less creative, there’s less energy and motivation needed to accomplish it.
Keep your emotional motivation running high by remembering to practice:
Gratitude Mindfulness Time in Nature Self-Awareness and Reflection
It is a fact that uncertainty creates stress. However, there are things in your life that DO feel certain. You may feel certainty around your spiritual beliefs, or the care of your loved ones.
For most horse owners and lovers, your horse is your life and treasure.
Let your horse bring you out of surreal to present moment.
Let your horse bring you completeness on your life's journey.
Take a few minutes each day to identify the things you are certain about, and enjoy those feelings.
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