What gets you going?
A friend of mine tells stories about a trainer who would yell at challenge his students, causing them to dig deep and excel. This would not work on me.
If yelled at, I collapse like wet toilet paper.
If likely to be yelled at, wet toilet paper.
Back in the dark ages, I was a working student. I was a terrible working student. At the end of my stay, we had an small, at-home, jumper show. Everyone assumed I would enter 2′ 6″, the lowest level. I rode in the 3′ middle level & won second with a stellar jump-off. Whereupon the BNR asked incredulously why I hadn’t ridden that way in the preceding months. Well, possibly because we had one lesson where you ranted at me so hard you lost your voice. In fairness, I can see why it happened. I was a hot mess. However, justified or otherwise, it was not an effective strategy.
A month later, I was back home at a basic boarding barn. The frog/pond ratio had altered dramatically. The little girls were in awe of my fancy horse. Suddenly, I was jumping four feet.
Stand in the middle of the ring and tell me I’m terrible; I will believe you.
Stand in the middle of the ring and tell me I’m wonderful; I will believe you.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
What gets me going is seeing my own progress and improvement. Doesn’t matter if that improvement is cardio efficiency, riding skill, dog handling skills, photography skills or gym PR, it’s just me trying to improve over my last best effort. That’s why I don’t participate at all in team sports. All I care about is me or my “team” (dog, horse or iron) and striving to do better than we did a day, week or month ago. Even if I DO compete I stay locked in that mental bubble where it’s just me trying to reproduce my best effort. I don’t care a whit about anyone else. Never have, never will. I figure this is the one area in my life where I can and should be totally selfish and focused on just myself.
I need more of this attitude. Although perhaps it is too late for a Total Personality Transfer.
I can totally relate!!! I am like the really great horse that needs a steady hand patting my shoulder before I go in the ring or break from the gate. That little bit of confidence goes a very long way!
I wonder what Courtney would think if I asked her to pat my shoulder (knee?) before a class.