The Oh so Scary Something

There is a saying that goes, "Horses are only afraid of two things: (1) Things that move and (2) things that don't." This saying is sadly all too true. This week while riding at the arena one of our horses had a large freak out because she was afraid of a piece of farm equipment parked outside the arena. The piece of equipment was not making any noise or even moving, yet it was very, very, very scary to this horse. This fear kept her from performing her best and made the ride a struggle.

What fears do we have that hold us back? What fears do we have that keep us from reaching our full potential? Some people are afraid of heights. This fear can keep them from experiencing amazing views from a hot air balloon or experiencing a large adrenaline rush from rock climbing. Some people are afraid of spiders and that can keep them from enjoying the outdoors and all the beauty it has to offer.

Later in the ride this same horse spooked at something she couldn't even see. The wind was blowing and the compost pile near the arena had a few tree branches on it and she thought something behind them was scary. Nothing was there however, convincing her of that was a challenge. We all have fears that we can't see. Things like failure, rejection, speaking in public or talking to people. If we let those fears control us we can miss out on amazing opportunities and successes.

Everyone has fears both seen and unseen. It is how we deal with those fears that decides who we will be. If we let our fears get the best of us, like the horse did, we will have a "bad ride" and not reach our full potential.

The horse I was riding was scared of the same things. The difference was his reaction. When he saw something scary and I walked him up to investigate it, he faced the scary thing head on. By looking at his fear he was able to overcome it and we had a nice ride.

We need to be more like my horse. It is impossible to avoid all our fears if we want to have a fulfilling life. Overcoming scary things is part of growing up and growing stronger. We need to face our fears head on and view them objectively. Then we may realize that the scary thing is no more than a simple piece of farm equipment. When we can overcome our fears we can reach new heights and rise to a potential we never knew was possible. 

The Grass Is Always Greener....

For the last few months we have had a few cows in the pasture at my house. These cows are dairy steers that we are finishing out to eat. Our pasture is quite large and full of good grass but for some reason, a couple of the cows decided it was not enough. No matter how much hay and grain we kept feeding them, on top of free range grass, they were constantly reaching through the fence to eat the grass on the other side. These cows are pretty big, and they are pretty strong. A fence can only handle so much which meant they ended up pushing through and getting out. 

This experience got me thinking about the "grass is always greener" principle. It is when, no matter our situation, something else looks better. Maybe you have been working to get a really good job and once you get it you see another job that looks better. Maybe you find a great apartment but after you move in you find something that looks better. Maybe it is something as simple as going to a movie and then wishing you went bowling instead. These are all examples of the "grass is always greener" principle.

One lesson I learned as I thought about this experience this week is to enjoy yourself. Lift where you stand. Be happy on your side of the fence. There will always be other options that present themselves. We can't do everything and we can't be everywhere but we can choose to be happy with the current situation we are in. If we spend our whole life looking on the other side of the fence and wishing we were there we will miss a lot of great opportunities that are happening right under our noses.

Even though the cows pushed and pushed to get through the fence, once they got to the other side they started looking for the next great thing. If we are constantly looking ahead and wishing we were somewhere else we are going to miss a lot of life. I think we need to slow down and enjoy where we are at in life or we will miss out on a lot. I think we need to stop second guessing ourselves when we make decisions and go forth with vigor when we make a decision. I think we need to enjoy the moment and pay attention to the little things. Only then will we realize that the grass is NOT always greener on the other side, and that we are standing in a field full of endless possibilities. 

Roping Horses and Comfort Zones

This week I had the opportunity to rope with some friends. We got the four-wheeler out and attached the roping dummy to it, then took turns roping off our horses for most of the night. I am not an experienced roper so I got to be the dummy driver. It was a lot of fun! Up and down the arena we would go. Sometimes it was a clean catch, other times it was a huge miss. Everyone had roped before and the horses were pretty experienced. They knew to follow the dummy and listen to their rider. After a little while we noticed that the horses did well going up the arena however, going down they always veered off to the left. When we stopped to talk about this, one of the riders said he believed they were following the security of the fence line.

As I was thinking about this experience a familiar quote came to mind. "There is no growth in a comfort zone and no comfort in a growth zone." My friend tells me this anytime I am hesitant or reluctant to try something new because I am scared. I think this quote applies to this situation and to many in life. The roping horses were well trained in what to do. They knew to listen to their rider and, as we could see going up the arena, were good at trailing the roping dummy. On the way down the arena they were hesitant to leave the security of the fence line which ultimately pulled them off course. How often do we get so caught up in the security of something that we fall trap to staying in our comfort zones? How often do we miss opportunities that we are well trained for because we are playing it safe?  I recently read a book titled "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" by Tina Seelig. In this book she emphasizes that we need to "give ourselves permission." We need to give ourselves permission to try new things, to quit, to learn and to fail. These all involve stepping outside our comfort zone into a growth zone. We have so much potential and we are capable of more than we let ourselves believe. On the runs where the horses stayed away from the fence and created a new path the riders were able to catch the dummy and succeed. Sometimes mistakes were still made on the riders part, but at least they were given the chance to try. There are so many opportunities out there that we will miss if we just "follow the fence line." We need to step out of our comfort zones and into a growth zone because that is where life really lies.

This is an example of what a roping dummy looks like. You put it on a bale of straw or hay in a four-wheeler trailer and bam! You have a transportable dummy.





 

 

Farm Field Days: A Lesson in Attitude

This week was Farm Field Days. It is a four-day event where second graders come to learn about the different aspects of farming, livestock production, and soil. By the last day almost 3,000 second graders had come through the rotations and learned a little more about where their food comes from. I was in charge of the livestock stations. We had chickens, sheep, goats, cows, a rabbit, and a horse.

Each day, different students would come from high schools around the area to volunteer at each station. At my station it was very important that the volunteers had previous knowledge about livestock in order to correctly present to the kids. Throughout the week as I monitored and gave feedback to their presentations I came to two very important conclusions:

     1. Simple is sometimes better.
     2. Attitude is everything.

I think it is crazy how we can get get so caught up in the details of something that we lose focus of what is really important. In this case, some of the volunteers had extensive knowledge of livestock so they gave too much detail in their presentations. Because it was hard for the second graders to understand, it did not make a lasting impact. The volunteers that gave the best presentations stuck to the simple information. It may have seemed extremely basic to them, but it was interesting to the second graders and was presented in a way that they could learn and understand. This taught me that simple really is sometimes better and helped me reevaluate a lot of situations in my life.

The other lesson I learned from this experience is that attitude is everything. Even though I gave the same information to each group of volunteers regarding the rotation, every day the presentations were different. Some days the volunteers were really involved with the students and made it fun an interesting without much encouragement from me. Other days however, it was a struggle to get the volunteers to have enough energy to interact with the students and I was constantly reminding them that this is a fun event where they need to be positive and energetic. In the end, it all came down to attitude. My attitude affected the volunteers and their attitude affected the students. The biggest thing I had to remind myself was that, no matter how hard you try, you cannot always change another persons attitude. I did my best to make it a fun event for the second graders and I hoped my attitude would rub off on some of the volunteers. Sometimes it did, and sometimes it didn't. Attitude really is everything in any situation. You also have to remember that the only attitude you really have control over is your own, so you better make it count.

Curve Balls in Competition

I work for the 4-H program in my area. For those of you who don't know, 4-H is a program designed for youth ages 8-18. There are many parts to 4-H; everything from sewing to talents, to livestock and horse programs. I am heavily involved in the livestock and horse areas.

This week was the state horse show. The state show is the culminating event for the horse show season. Participants have to successfully competed in at least two small district shows and the county show. From there, the top 10 participants in each age division (junior, intermediate and senior) are invited to compete and represent the county at state. The kids have worked really hard and were well prepared for the show. As I sat through two days of nonstop events, watching the kids from my county compete, I realized that there is no such thing as a sure thing. I watched a few kids, that had sped through the speed events at the qualifier shows, run some of their slowest times. I also watched as some kids broke their personal records. I sat through 90 degree weather one day and waded through pouring rain the next. Sometimes a kid would have a perfect run until the last barrel messed everything up. There is no such thing as a sure thing. Life is always throwing curve balls at us. Maybe it is not getting a job you really want or being turned down for a date. Maybe it is losing an item that you really need and not finding it until the day after you need it. Maybe it is an unexpected rainstorm or a bad time in a speed event at a horse show. I can't tell you what curve balls life is going to throw, all I know is that there will be curve balls. When they do happen it is our job to learn what to do with them. I watched as kids fought back tears when their results didn't meet their expectations. I also watched as other kids came up to console them and then cheer them on even louder in their next event. Even if they didn't win it didn't matter, all the mattered was that they tried. The same goes for life. Sometimes we will swing at a curve ball and miss, but all that matters is that we took a swing. There really is no such thing as a sure thing, but I guess that is what keeps life interesting. 

The Cow Lesson

This week I helped a friend at a dairy. This dairy milks twice a day and has about 250 cows. While milking on Friday night there were some... problems. Cows wouldn't go through the pathways correctly and they were having issues walking. One cow came through backwards and fell. She fell in such a way that she couldn't get up. This was very frustrating. It was hard seeing this cow struggle and it made us work much later than we had to. It would have been so much easier for this cow to follow the path correctly the first time, as she had done hundreds of times before. We finally had to get the tractor to pull her out of the barn and then tie hobbles to her legs. Hobbles control the space a cow can step.
 This experience put a very valuable Gospel lesson in perspective. Structure is there to help us in our lives. The pathways in the barn were there for the cows safety. They made it so the cow could be milked, which keeps it healthy, and so it could pass through without falling and injuring itself. When the cow didn't follow the rules it struggled, fell and got stuck. This is a lot like the Gospel. Some people feel that the Gospel has too many rules and that it keeps us from having fun. This isn't the case. Heavenly Father knows that our path is very dangerous yet He also knows that we must move along it in order to grow and progress. He has given us commandments to keep us safe. He also knows that sometimes we go off the path and when this happens sometimes we have to struggle. In the end we find that we cannot get up on our own, just as the cow couldn't get up once she fell, and we need the Lords help. I believe that the Lord often shows up with a tractor and chains to get us out of any mess we have gotten ourselves into. It doesn't matter if He has been working hard all day or if He is tired, He is always there to bail us out. Then He may hobble us to keep us from falling again. Even though hobbles restrict leg movement they help the cow because it keeps her legs from falling out from underneath her. Sometimes our hobbles can be our guilt from past mistakes or opportunities missed. We should know that our Heavenly Father only gives us hobbles to strengthen us and make us stronger. He knows what we need and is more than willing to give it to us and help us because He is invested in us and wants us to return to Him.
We are all like cows in some ways, We don't always follow the path and sometimes we can see our fences as constraints. However, if we submit to the will of the Lord and His plan for us we can make it back to Him safely and live happily forever. God is our farmer that has our best interests at heart, sometimes we just have to fall so we can get up with a new perspective.

Lessons from a Horse Show

This week I participated in a horse show at the Utah State Fair. While there I was reminded of a few valuable lessons.

     1. Hairspray is VERY important

     2. Confidence is key

     3. Sometimes the last place ribbon is the prettiest

Hairspray is so important at horse shows because it holds your hair in place. Every rider must have their hair in a tight bun and if it falls out it is very unprofessional. It is not uncommon to go through insanely large quantities of hairspray in just one night. Hairspray is your best friend and your biggest supporter in a show. In life everyone needs their own "hairspray". Something or someone to support them and be their best friend. "Hairspray" makes you look your best and keeps you together when you are getting thrown around on the crazy ride of life. My real life "hairspray" would be my friends, family and the Gospel. They are there to share in my accomplishments, hold me up during the disappointments and hold things together when life gets crazy. Hairspray is VERY important. 

I was at this show with my Aunt Kris and my four year old cousin Madison. Madison has been riding since she was born and she rode in a lead line class during the show. A lead line class is when little kids get all dressed up to show and their parent or teacher leads them around the ring. In the end the judge cannot make a decision between all the great riders and everyone gets a trophy. It was all Madison could talk about the whole day before she showed. She got in her pretty pink shirt, boots and hat and was all ready to go. She sat up tall on that horse just like she had been taught and acted like she owned the world. She asked everyone if they liked the contestant number pinned to her back and her shirt and was constantly asking if she looked cute. When someone would compliment her she would just smile and say that she knew she was cute. This is how we all should be. Life is tough, and as adults I believe that we over-think a lot of things. Wouldn't life be easier if everyone could take a compliment, not worry what other people though and have confidence in themselves? Think of how many problems that would solve. I hope that I can have half the confidence Madison has and be half as happy as she is. Confidence is key. 

The horse I was riding at this show is called Vapor. He is a fifteen year old Arabian gelding that has not been shown since he was 5. I was showing him because his owners are trying to sell him and needed to get him out in the arena again. One of my classes had four horses in it. We had a rough ride and ended up taking 4th place. My ribbon was a small white ribbon that I was not very proud of because I knew we could do better. The next day I rode in a championship class with the same four horses. Vapor had had a really rough day. He had cut his tongue open, hit his head on his stall and had been deathly afraid of anything that moved (there are a lot of things that move at a fair). I was very nervous as we warmed up for our class and knew that it was going to be a hard one. We went in and rode our best and took..... 4th place again. However, this time my ribbon was very large, multicolored and very pretty.  I felt good with our efforts in the class and knew that Vapor had done his best for me, all things considered. It is important to remember that we don't always take 1st place. Sometimes everyone you are competing against is a national champion and you feel very out of place, but none of that matters as long as you feel good about what you have done. You alone understand your strengths. You know when you have done the best that you can do and that is good enough. 

I encourage everyone to utilize your "hairspray". Lean on family, friends and the Gospel to help you through the challenging times and be "hairspray" for someone else. Remember that confidence is key. Fake it until you make it and know that having faith in yourself is half the battle. When you do those things you will find that sometimes the last place ribbon really is the prettiest.