Three Key Questions to Ask Yourself

Fall is often a time to reflect about what has transpired during the first three-quarters of the year.

You’ve got time now before the beginning of 2011 to think about what worked this year, what didn’t work, and what you would like to do in the future.

Maybe you want to buy, sell or trade your horse. Maybe you want to show more … or less. Maybe you’re content at the moment.

In this article, I’m suggesting three key questions to ask yourself when you make decisions.

They will help you stay on track with what makes you personally happy. It’s so easy for any number of reasons … ourselves, other people, circumstances … to make decisions that haven’t been thought out completely.

Question #1: What do I value most?

This question has to do with what is most important to you. It will help you take stock of your personal values.

You’ve probably experienced the unsolicited clarity of sifting through your values when an illness occurred, tragedy struck or a loved one passed on.

Suddenly, you were aware of what really mattered to you. You may have wondered why you weren’t living with that perspective all along. However painful, everything was simplified.

You can use, “What do I value most?” as a starting point for any decision. You don’t have to experience a tragedy to gain the confidence that comes with letting go of things that are not truly important to you.

Your answer will never be absolute. What you value today may or may not be different in one month, one year, or 10 years.

Question #2: What do I want (achieve, experience, or be)?

This question is more goal oriented.

But, it also goes further than that when you make sure your answer SUPER EXCITES YOU.

This again is totally personal.

This is where many people get hung up. They compare themselves to others. They think they have to do something other than their preferences.

We all come wired with our own desires.

When you answer this question, you will stay grounded.

Your answers are also your keys to having your own brand of fun.

When you make your next move by first deciding what’s important … and, then choosing a dream that excites you … now you are in for a real adventure.

Question #3: Do I believe this can happen?

You can answer the previous two questions, but if you don’t believe your decision can, or will happen, you can be sure it won’t.

Your beliefs are what you know to be TRUE within your own mind.

They are the “rules” of our thinking and they are very RIGID!

The reality is they are not really absolute, but we think they are. Religion is a great example of how different people have absolute beliefs.

Beliefs originate from a variety of sources, but ultimately they are the result of repeated patterns of thinking over time.

The good news is, to change your beliefs, change your thinking.

To change limiting beliefs about your success, consciously repeat thoughts that feel good, visualize your dreams happening with emotion, and look for solutions to your challenges.

Never believe YOU personally have the limitation. It’s only a matter of time until things work out for you when you believe they will.

If you don’t know exactly HOW things will unfold, no problem. Just know (believe (-:) that with time and persistence you will achieve the things you desire.

PERSONAL VALUES + DREAMS + BELIEF
= Equals
Positive goals, Focused action and Ultimate success
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About the Author

Barbra Schulte is a personal performance coach for all riders, a cutting horse trainer, author, speaker, and
clinician. Visit her Blog and signup to receive her FREE monthly email newsletter, “News From Barbra”. You will also receive the high performance secrets of great riders, inspiration, cutting strategies, news, and much more. In addition, you will also receive via email Barbra’s special FREE report: “Five of the Most Important Skills of Riding”. Go now to http://BarbraSchulte.com

A Quick Fix for Nerves … or … The Eyes Have IT!

You’re cruising along just fine.

Suddenly, that awful, tight, stomach knot spazzes-out in your tummy.  Then, it goes north into your throat like a choke hold!

We’ve all felt that sensation.  Nobody escapes it.

But, it’s not about the fact that you feel anything from nervousness to downright terror from time-to-time.

It’s about what you do with it when it happens.  It’s your response to your fear that counts.

A tense situation could happen anywhere from the trail to a competition.  But, that teeth-clenching, mind-racing, tight-muscle feeling is the same for all riders who feel anxious.

This article contains a simple, five-step method to give you instant relief from anxiety.  It can help you shift gears from experiencing internal turbulence to feeling as if you are smooth sailing.

The positive effects of these steps can help you:

1.  Stay calm and focused for all your riding experiences from practice to show.
2.  Stay grounded in your thinking so you can ride with more “feel”.  This technique can help you make the transition from analytical thinking (which is how you learn initially) to automatic responses (which is how you ride when things become second-nature).

These steps work because they combine the use of mental and physical “tools” to evoke the emotions of calmness and focus.

It’s important to understand that our mind, body and emotions are inseparable.  One always affects the other.  When you consciously apply techniques that engage one, and then another, you have the ability to channel your emotions in a positive direction.

It’s a skill to do this.  It’s not a gift one person has, and another one does not have.

The steps are:

1. Prior to your ride, choreograph your eyes.  By “choreograph”  I mean develop a conscious plan about where your eyes will be at all times during the concentrated part of your ride.

When you consciously control your eyes and keep them up and looking where you want to go, (or focused on an object), you go a long way toward keeping your emotions calm and focused.  The reason this works is because all positive emotion is associated with eyes up.  All dis-empowering emotion is associated with eyes down.  Just by keeping your eyes up, you can positively channel your emotions .
So, think about where you want your eyes to be at all times.  Visualize that choreography in your mind.  Then, do the same as you ride.

2. Next, when you mentally or physically practice, combine an awareness of your breathing with your eye choreography.  Instantly, your eyes will become soft and you will have a wider field of vision.  Pair easy-breathing with every part of your eye plan.

3. Now that you have an eye-breath dynamic duo working for you, again, be sure you practice it!  Become very skilled so you can methodically execute it on demand.

4. This next step will help you automatically apply your new skill to any situation.  Make it your personal priority to keep tabs on how you feel.  Pay attention when you begin to feel anxious, fearful, nervous, etc.  (You’re probably thinking, “Duh!  That’s a tough one, Barb!”  But, the reality is our anxiety becomes a runaway train if we don’t consciously notice when we first feel fear.)

This step of noticing your emotions is HUGE.  Don’t skip it.

5. Now, with your new trained consciousness of how you feel, you can replace any anxiety with your eye choreography and breathing.  You might feel instantly super focused and calm.  In the least, you will feel better.

Mental and emotional tools are SKILLS.  They won’t happen automatically unless you practice them. The good news is, this is fun practice!

About the Author : Barbra Schulte is a personal performance coach for all riders, a cutting horse trainer, author, speaker, and clinician. Visit her Blog and signup to receive her FREE monthly email newsletter, “News From Barbra”. You will also receive the high performance secrets of great riders, inspiration, cutting strategies, news, and much more. In addition, you will also receive via email Barbra’s special FREE report: “Five of the Most Important Skills of Riding”. Go now to http://BarbraSchulte.com

Learn How to Let Go, Trust Yourself, and Tap Into Your True Talent and Skill

Do your hands and seat come naturally and spontaneously … or … do you analyze everything you do? Try this test: Crumple up a piece of paper and set a trash can 15 feet away.  Your objective is to toss the paper into the basket using two patterns of thought. On your first toss, focus on the mechanics of throwing.  Analyze how your hand must open to release the paper.  Think about the angle of your elbow, the position of your hand, and the rotation of your shoulders as you throw.  With all these thoughts spinning in your head, make your toss. Now try throwing the paper by simply getting a picture in your mind of what you want to happen.  Rehearse the feeling of a perfect toss.  Imagine the paper dropping into the center of the basket.  Now hold that image and make your toss.  Trust your body to do the work as guided by your mind. You will probably produce more baskets. The same is true for any discipline or style of riding.  The best riding is automatic, intuitive, and instinctive. Of course, as we learn new riding skills, we have to break things down analytically to improve our mechanics.  There’s no way around step-by-step thought in the learning process. But that is just the beginning.  Early on in your progression you can consciously accelerate your skill acquisition by riding more instinctively. Riding by Instinct As you practice techniques that develop more feel, you’ll begin to trust your decisions, or use your feet appropriately, or keep your hands low … all more automatically and “in-the-flow” instead of feeling like a disjointed robot! Try these four tips and watch your true talent and skill come to life.  And … as you make the transition from analytical to instinctive riding, you’ll have more fun. 1.  Use mental videos to imagine what you want to do before you do it. All great riders have developed the ability to get an image of a smooth ride before they do it … out on the trail, or a great jump, or an elegant reining spin, or nose-to-nose rhythm with a cow. Images are incredibly powerful.  They work to your advantage by automatically programming your mind and body for success. One of your jobs is to have fun with these mental images.  This is important! So, let your imagination run wild.  The videos should feel magical, like something you can step into.  They can also feel like a relief to you because you are “letting go” of the analysis and rolling with the flow. You can also try mentally becoming your favorite rider as an experiment to help you get the hang of it. Then, put your own spin on it. Play with the image until it feels good.  Keep playing it over and over and enjoy the experience!  The more positive emotions, like energy, calmness, confidence, and fun you add to your mental videos, the better … and the more pleasant and powerful. 2. Work on rhythm and tempo to smooth out mechanics. Instinctive riding is smooth and non-robotic. Coach yourself to feel the rhythm.  Before and during your ride, remind yourself, “Feel the rhythm.  Feel the rhythm.” Sometimes counting or repeating a tune or a phrase can re-establish flow, too. 3. Steady your breathing. Become aware of your breathing and simply let the air flow in and out of your abdomen when possible. Be easy about this.  A focused breathing pattern can help you blend the mechanics with the intended rhythm of your entire ride or any part of it. 4. Use phrases with feeling words to coach yourself as you ride. Brainstorm phrases that automatically trigger the right moves.  Be sure and add these scripts to the mental videos you’ve been practicing (#1 above). For example, if you say “Smooth, soft, low hands”, that is much better than, “Keep your hands down and stop being jerky”! “Stay aggressive” could help you remain offensive in a situation without overdoing it. “Scan out front” evokes more softness and a broader visual field than just, “Eyes up”. Combine the necessary information of analytical thinking with a mindfulness for instinct, rhythm, and flow.  Now you’ll have it going on and be in the groove more quickly and consistently!

About the Author:

Author Barbra Schulte

Barbra Schulte is a personal performance coach for all riders, a cutting horse trainer, author, speaker, and  clinician.  Visit her Blog and signup to receive her FREE monthly email newsletter, “News From Barbra”.  You will also receive the high performance secrets of great riders, inspiration, cutting strategies,  news, and much more.  In addition, you will also receive via email Barbra’s special FREE report: “Five of the Most Important Skills of Riding”.  Go now to http://BarbraSchulte.com

Thank you Barbra for sharing this great article.  We look forward to sharing more of your great tips that can be applied to barrel racing. ~ Michelle

Readers,  please check out the other great resources Barbra has on her website including and audio CD specifically for barrel racers! 

Its a new year and a new season.  Its time to start with a fresh slate and a fresh set of goals for you and your barrel horse.

Do you have a goal? Setting one (or more) is a great way for self improvement and success!

Thank you Gary for this submission.  – Gary Ryan Blair is President of The GoalsGuy. He helps business owners, corporate executives and sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, and stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, and be more successful. Gary can be reached for speaking, coaching and media requests at 877-462-5748 or by sending an email to Gary@GoalsGuy.com

Here’s a video for you to light a fire under you’re butt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPnudujlBZI  Keeps things pretty simple doesn’t it!

What are your goals for 2010?  What do you want?  What are you going to go and get!?

Nobody wants to get nervous, and nobody wants to upset their horse because of how they are feeling.  Watch this video with Jane Savoie.  She teaches some simple tips to keep you and your barrel horse focused and on task.   Your barrel horse will thank you for watching this and implementing these techniques if you or your horse ever have trouble staying focused.

To summarize some of the tips in the video, here is a list of some of the points I picked up on:

1. If you hold your breath, you put your horse in alert mode.
2. SOS – Sing Or Speak
3. If you are singing you have to breath and you’ll focus on your horse (not your worries).
4. Know “your song” ahead of time
5. If you don’t like singing you could hum
6. If your horse has one ear back he’s paying attention to you.  Ears forward, he’s fixating on something else. You can speak to him to get his attention back on you.
7. If your horse is fixated on someone else (someone videoing, carrying something) have them speak to you so the horse knows its a human.  This is being proactive (before they spook).

I’m not sure we’re all going to start singing while we’re barrel racing, but it is certainly a good idea to keep those pre run jitters under control and staying focused on what you want to happen rather than what you are worried about.

Feel free to comment or share your stories or tips.

BarrelRacingBuzz.com is a great resource of information and videos.  They interview barrel racing champions like Kay Blandford, Sherry Cervi and Tammy Key-Fisher along with many, many more.  Click here for a link for more videos

In this particular video Barrel Racing Buzz talks to Liz Pinkston about getting yourself mentally prepared so you can guide your barrel horse to the best of your ability through the pattern.   She suggests getting yourself a road map, stay consistent with your plan and don’t quit!   Get yourself mentally prepared at home even if it means setting up a pattern at home a similar size.  If you are going to be in a small arena, set up a small pattern.

Some great tips from Liz and barrel racing buzz.  Be sure to check out the BUZZ website for many more great tips and videos.  A great online resource for us barrel racers.  Your barrel racing horse will thank you for it!

Here’s the video:

Keeping your ability and your horses ability and level of training in perspective is important when heading to jackpots.  You don’t want to set yourself or your horse up for failure.  It is my opinion that our horses well being should be our priority.  Are they happy? Confident?  Do they know what is expected of them?

If it is your horses first season of going to jackpots away from home you should have lower expectations than if it is your 3rd or 4th season.  If this is your first year you can expect to make some mistakes.  If you’ve had a few years of hauling down the road you should expect yourself to be better and maintaining your composure under pressure.

Bottom line – consider your experience and your horses experience before setting your expectations or assessing how you have done following the competition.