How You Can Do Anything By Changing Your Mindset

I often get asked questions about running our business and it usually goes along the lines of “What was the hardest part about starting”. My go-to answer is usually something like, “actually starting”. But the truth is it is so much deeper than this and I thought I would go into detail about this here.

You see how you build a business, to how you develop your riding and how you structure your life all correlate. Everything is connected and I wanted to share some secrets with you. I believe this advice can be applied to any part of your life. So whether you want to improve your riding, change your career path or just get more out of your life, hopefully, you find this information useful.

To me, Dressage Rider Training isn’t just about providing you with exercises. I care about you more than just exercises. I want to help inspire you to become the best version of yourselves and this requires the right mindset. It’s usually something we ignore and don’t put enough attention into. But I believe it can be one of the single most powerful things you can work on no matter what path you are on.

The more failure, the more to learn

The two online businesses that I run Foreverfit and this site here Dressage Rider Training weren’t my first businesses. I have run a few and each one has taught me different skills I have today. The hardest part of starting anything was simply not knowing where to start, the constant rejection and self doubt that plaque you each and every day and being completely scared as to whether this thing will actually work. The truth is this crossed over to riding too…the same self doubt, fear of failure, worrying what others thought and what direction do I even take. It’s all mindset.

When starting anything you really need to master your psychology and the ability to motivate yourself on a daily basis. This is the foundation of any success at any stage, not just the beginning. Nobody tells you this part, which I believe is the most important thing to master and work on daily.

I truly believe life is 20% skills and knowledge, 80% psychology. You need to develop the skills of resilience and perseverance to keep you going. You also need to keep seeking information and answers. However as much as you can know all the information there is, the true learning and growth comes by doing and often this step is the hardest to master. Taking the leap into action and not being afraid to learn and make mistakes as you go.

 

Building your mindset

Over the years, I have spent 10s of 1000s of dollars on personal development even when I couldn’t afford it. I have done certifications, got qualifications, read books, listened to audiobooks, seminars and courses and spent 1000s of hours reading, listening to podcasts, reading articles, experimenting and becoming a student of success and I continue to this day to keep learning and growing.

What this has done is given me the tools and ability to bounce back from the hardest times, solve problems, and make myself survive especially in times where I want to give it all up. Now I am certainly not recommending you do exactly the same, but I do recommend you begin investing some time into it. You see, you may not need it today, but it is essential to success and you don’t need it until you really do need it. Just having knowledge and skills will get you so far. Psychology takes you to the next level and makes you become an anomaly.

 

How do you build your mindset?

All the information is out there, but it’s not all wrapped up into one book. There are gems to be discovered from all sources and sometimes it’s not until your ready to hear it, that you actually listen. The key to success is that you learn to become more resourceful. What you want to do is learn from someone that has been through the trenches and can help you short-cut a lot of mistakes.

However, remember, these people are very busy, so you need to be patient or offer them something in return. Value for value, an eye for an eye. Find out what books they recommend, who they learnt from. What habits they have. Alternatively, you can find this wisdom in books, YouTube clips, courses or Podcasts. Books are an amazing insight into someone’s mind. An author pours their heart and soul into a book and it is one of the most valuable ways to learn more about mastering your mind. They are out there, and a lot of the time its free information and very inexpensive. Plus of course, to help your riding mindset there are all the tools, articles and resources on this site to help you personally along the way.

Even to this day, 15 years on into entrepreneur land, I need to remind myself to continue to grow and learn. Its when I stop that I get complacent and those negative thoughts, anxiety and bad habits all slip back in. The right mindset is not always there, but it is becoming hard-wired into my nervous system. I have learnt how to take control of my emotions once they get out of control after experiencing a setback because I now know it means that I’m progressing forward. Often in those moments when I want to shut down and close myself off to the world I am about to make the biggest breakthroughs. I have only learnt this by doing, getting into the trenches and experiencing.

 

Try this out

Write this formula on a sticky note and put it somewhere where you can constantly see it.

Setbacks = invaluable education = progress.

Very rarely do you go backwards after the setback if you have a growth mindset.

As my business grows and my riding develops further I’m continuing to learn and develop new skills which I didn’t have in order to go to the next level. I’m reaching out to people all the time that are more experienced and successful than me because I know they will help me get to that next level in some way shape or form. In return, I offload everything I know to them. A wise person knows that everyone has something to teach. I’m constantly looking for smart people to be around or affiliated with because I know you become who spend time with. I also know that the next stage of personal development and growth is by helping others become successful, hence my reason for wanting to help you be the best version of yourself you can be.

Growth and fulfilment come from contributing to others.

Now how this applies to your riding is remember what I mentioned above, how everything is connected?

Whether you are starting riding, trying to progress to the next level. Building a new bond with your new horse or whether you are looking for a new career path that helps you have more time to ride. Mindset principles are still the same.  Don’t wait, don’t overthink it and definitely don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.

Focus on what’s most important, not what’s most impressive and learn by doing. Taking action. Don’t be afraid of failure. Setbacks are inevitable, its how you see them that’s important.

I hope this has been helpful. x

 

 

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