I went horseback riding yesterday.
I’ve been riding now and again since I was 10-years-old. But it occurred to the other day that I had not been on a horse in a long time — like a DECADE.
So I committed to myself to find a place where I could ride regularly.
Yesterday was the day.
I arrived at the stable. At this stable, they had you dress your own horse, which I don’t have a lot of experience doing.
So I learned (relearned) all the steps to getting a horse ready. Brushing, getting the saddle on, picking the hooves, and so on.
For some reason, I didn’t realize that this stable taught English-style riding. In my humble opinion, English-style is WAY more challenging than Western-style!
When I discovered this little fact, I could feel my energy drop. I’m thinking, “What did I get myself into? How many rides did I buy in advance?”
I caught myself and got emotionally centered as I walked the horse into the riding arena.
Then came the moment of truth. Here I was with my little helmet, and little riding boots, climbing onto this massive horse.
I won’t lie. I was not steady. No little “horn” on the saddle to hang onto. This was English-style after all.
The horse and I strolled around the arena, and I was NOT in my emotional power place.
Then I “woke up.”
This was MY issue.
Not the saddle’s issue.
Not the horse’s issue.
This was an inside job.
I was not feeling confident in that moment because I was thinking things like, “I don’t feel very steady. Maybe I’m too out of shape for this. My feet feel so small in these stirrups.” Haha. Funny, but true.
At that moment, I realized that I had access to confidence and power at any moment.
I just had to DECIDE.
I had to decide to take a deep breath and center myself.
I had to decide to say a few sentences to myself that sounded better.
“I can do this.” “I know how to do this.”
“I’ve done this before.”
“It’s like riding a horse.”
Haha.
And BOOM! I was sitting tall in the saddle, riding high, and enjoying myself. I think the horse liked it better too.
And while this may sound simple, it’s because it IS THAT SIMPLE.
When you’re feeling not confident, say a few little sentences to yourself.
“I can do this.” “I’ve done other things, and I’ll figure this out too.”
“I can stand tall and hold my head high.”
“I can center my energy right now.”
“I already on my way.”
“It’s like riding a horse.”
Rockstar confidence is an INSIDE job, and you have all the tools you need to get it! BOOM!
