100 days of horses & Integrity
| January 24, 2017 | Posted by Melinda under Equine Endurance |
I last left you at day 21 before the Christmas holiday. Here’s what days 22-35 looked like:
After a hiatus that seemed to go on forever, I did what I’ve done several times during this personal challenge – go back out to the barn and start logging days again.
It’s a matter of integrity.
Running and Riding with integrity is simply doing what I said I would do.
Words have power, as I discovered several years ago. There are many ways to sabatoge yourself in pursuit of your goals. Using self-deprecating words to describe yourself or your action is not harmless, and neither is breaking your word with yourself.
By not doing what I say I erode trust within myself.
This means I need to set *realistic goals that I can execute. Goals based in “wishes” or “shoulds” are setting myself up for failure and breaking promises with myself. It’s important to keep your word once you have given it, but I think it’s most important to keep your word to yourself.
*This is seemingly at odds with another post I wrote about goals where I discuss that point of goals is to provide an overall direction, even if they aren’t specifically achieved. Paradoxically I think both are true. A good goal does both – provides direction and focus even if it’s never achieved, while mostly allowing you to keep your promises to yourself.
When ever I announce my intention to do a future thing on this blog my fingers always pause and get this nervous smile on my face because at that moment it goes from being a thought in my head to a promise to myself.
- I’ve said I want to ride a 100 miler this year.
- I want to run the Western States 100 (did you know that when I get in and finish it, I’ll join only 8 women that have all 3 buckles? Tevis, Ride and Tie Championships, and WS100?).
- I’m committed to logging 100 days of horses.
Initially the 100 days of horses challenge was about seeing my horses for 100 days in row (barring being out of town).
A noble goal but one that I (predictably) will fall short of over and over.
It seems like a simple thing to formally redefine the goal, maybe not even worth writing about, but I think it’s really important! Once I realized that never in a million years with multiple jobs, kid, marriage, and other training commitments would I ever be able to see my horses every day for 100 days, I needed to redefine it so I did not continually fall short.
So here it is: Each week I can commit to two days of riding, one day of ground work, one day of maintenance stuff and pats on the nose. Two days of no ponies.
Like any good goal even even this won’t be easy – I’m working full time plus, my husband is doing flight training, the winter days are short, and the storms this season are epic yada yada yada – but with commitment this goal towards #100DaysofHorses is achievable.
PS (Fitting in 100 days of horses in the dark winter months has been such a good exercise I’m thinking of repeating it every winter between the end of Daylight Savings and the Spring Equinox!)
Seeing my horse every day isn’t a challenge because she’s in the back yard and would waste away to nothing (she’s quite sure) without twice-daily carrot supplementation.
HOWEVER, it’s easy to get into the habit of handing out food and scuttling back to the house before I freeze or drown. Your 100-day challenge is a reminder to me that the whole point of living here is proximity to the horse, and the ability to “take 5” (which is always more like 20) and go hang out with her.
Thanks for the challenge!
The point of the goal was to motivate, and to provide insight into the best way way to make it work. I am inspired by the way that you can see that the goal you set isn’t working, remember the point of the goal, and then adjust the goal to best achieve the point. There’s no achievement in a goal scored, if it doesn’t reward you with the point. Thanks for this insight! 🙂
Like Aarene, I am the care-provider and need to be there twice a day. So I appreciate the reminder to really BE there too, it’s so easy to get caught in the rush and not mentally be present.
Kay, so I’ve been wanting to ask… What is the thing on the trailer tyres? What does it do?
It’s a tire cover to protect the tires from sun damage! I’ve been making do with pieces of plywood and other things but I found this on sale and it’s so much easier. The other side of my trailer is to the east and park really close to another trailer so it doesn’t get as much sun on that side. So I just have the cover on the west side
Oh cool, I didn’t realise you could get such things! Thanks 🙂