I think every business coach asks “What’s your why?” when you begin working with them. I always struggled to answer … ermmmm, *shrug, *loud exhale, *long, awkward pause.
My answers were wishy-washy, vanilla-flavored; they were all … SAFE.
I’d answer, “To be my own boss, to help others in their business, to work from home with my dogs.”
Technically ALL TRUE, but they weren’t really specific enough or meaningful enough to inspire me to take my business to the next level.
The Excuses
So I dabbled in business. I gave myself “grace” to gain traction.
I provided quality work to a few people that knew me from the community, but I never stretched myself beyond that sphere of influence. Not surprisingly, that led to very tepid success, and for a short time I even shelved my business and got a … *gasp … 9-5 job.
When I look back, my business was, in fact, more of a hobby.
The Vision
Well, that’s now changed, because yesterday I rode a horse … for the first time in 25 years.
And it provided me with a clarity of vision I didn’t have before … I NOW HAVE MY WHY, my inspiration, my drive to make me take action and see my business thrive!
I can see now that my WHY was the missing piece of the puzzle; and how important it is to have clarity in your goals.
I want my business to provide the financial security and the flexibility to support a lifestyle that includes owning my own horse again.
BAM!
My WHY is now crystal clear … and measurable. Now I can use that goal to drive my business to an income at that level.
The Backstory
You see … horses WERE MY LIFE when I was a girl.
I started riding when I was 7 or 8. My slightly-older-than-me aunt had a horse, so naturally I followed suit.
Casey …
My first love, Casey, was a 10-year old Welsh Pony mare with ATTITUDE to spare. And she was WICKED SMART! Too smart!! Funny story … the police escorted her home one night after she escaped the pasture fence! But that’s a story for another time.
Most weekends when the weather was nice my aunt and I would saddle up and leave the house right after breakfast. My grandparents’ 7-acre property was at the base of an undeveloped hillside that was FULL of deer trails, logging roads, and even a natural arena … it was just a flat, sandy clearing in the forest, really. But it was HEAVEN to young girls on horseback!
I joined 4-H and learned the basics of horsemanship. I still remember giving that presentation about worms (yuck), and learning about conformation, shoeing, and feeding during our monthly meetings.
My father was in the Navy, so we didn’t stay long in one place. I had to say goodbye to Casey when we left Oregon for my dad’s next duty station, Haverfordwest, Wales, UK.
Casey stayed in the family with one of my cousins.
Domino & Jerry …
My father was stationed in Wales when I was 12 to 14-years old, and I became a stable-rat at the RAF Brawdy stable. Every weekend during the school year and ALL SUMMER LONG I’d ride the bus out to the stables first thing in the morning and not come back until the evening.
I learned dressage, showjumping, cross-country, foxhunting, and a level of horsemanship WAY beyond what I learned in 4-H.
I worked my way up through the levels of classes quickly … after all, I had been riding for years at that point, just a different style. By the end of the first year I had been elevated to the highest classes.
But the greatest thing I learned in those 2.5 years was how much inner strength I had.
I was COMPETITIVE for the first time in my life. Once, at the stable’s annual show, I partially bit through my tongue as Domino popped up earlier than I expected over a jump, but I didn’t tell anyone, especially my mom, because I wanted to continue on and WIN the Black Prince Trophy … and I DID!
Sidenote: I HAVE to find the picture from the trophy presentation that day because my eyes were lit up with a FIRE and PASSION I long to reignite.I was empowered by my ability to control a MASSIVE animal with just my seat and hands.
I was filled with confidence that I now rode at a level FAR above most at the stable and was one of only a handful that were allowed to ride their three best horses … Domino, Jerry, and Amber.
My favorite was Jerry, a retired steeplechase Thoroughbred that was a total headcase, but the most fun ride EVER!!
Rob …
After Wales, I ended up back in Oregon for two years, and during that time I had Rob, an 18-year old, bay, ⅞ Arab, ⅛ QH WONDER-HORSE who had seen everything and done everything and was just WAITING for me to be his next owner.
No, really. It was meant to be.
You see, Rob was a rescue, back before “rescues” were a big thing. And the person who had him wanted him to go to a rider who could challenge him. She advertised him in the paper, but required an essay in the application.
So I wrote about being a military child and my riding experiences and it must have touched her somehow because Rob became mine.
And we were a great match!
I boarded Rob at the barn a little further up the hill from my grandparent’s. He LOVED to play hard to get in the paddock, but when we got down to work, we were a fantastic team!
We still did 4-H … just about every youth rider did back in Southwestern Oregon in 1981! But we also did the local summer show circuit. At the end of our second summer together we qualified for the Oregon State Fair and won the SWOHA All-Around trophy in my age-division. It was a silver belt buckle that I still wear today!
No more horses …
But life is cyclical, isn’t it? My dad got stationed in Alaska, and so Rob went back to the rescuer who found him another great family to live with and I moved to Adak, without horses for the first time I could really remember.
After that, I rode when I could, but it was sporadic at best. I lived in Hawaii and exercised polo ponies for a stable at the grounds on the North Shore of Oahu. My claim to fame there was handing a warmed-up pony to Jameson Parker (of the Hardy Boys TV Show) during a match.
I got married, had children, and *poof, like that, horses were no longer a part of my life. I broached the subject with my then-husband several times, but his answer was always “Horses are for spoiled little rich girls.” SO NOT TRUE! I may admit to being a bit spoiled growing up, but we were far from rich! I don’t think he meant to be cruel, but that was just his opinion.
I lived in Fallon, NV for four and a half years. During that time I volunteered at a local stable for a few months, but quickly stopped as the busy-ness of family life took over.
The re-awakening …
Fast forward 30 years … how is it possible so much time has gone by? My kids are grown, I’m no longer married, and I am in a position to make my own decisions about my priorities.
For the past year I’ve been kicking around the idea of riding again. But it was all talk and no action. Until two weeks ago.
I finally took action. I found several stables online and reached out. Ultimately, I found two that I liked and booked lessons, then ordered about $400 worth of riding equipment.
Weta …
I had my first lesson yesterday … on a beautiful, Palomino QH mare named Weta.
She’s not mine … but the memory of my first ride after all that time will forever be linked to her.
I was so excited the day of my lesson, I showed up 30 minutes early. When I walked into the barn ALL the memories came flooding back. The scent of the stalls, the horses, the leather.
I met the trainer and she allowed me to jump in and get Weta ready.
I brushed her down … she was already clean, so it was more about getting to know her and her getting to know me.
When it was time to pick her hooves, I brushed my hand down her leg, gave her cannon a gentle squeeze, and slightly leaned into her as I asked her to pick up her leg for me. Success!
It came back as naturally as if time had never passed.
I knew at that moment I didn’t have anything to be afraid of, even though 25-years had passed since I’d ridden.
I’m not going to lie. The 30-minute lesson just about wore me out and I had to pop Motrin like they were Skittles for two days. But I left the area BEAMING with happiness.
What this has to do with WHY …
You may be wondering what this L-O-N-G post about a girl’s love of horses is doing on her business page.
I would argue that it has EVERYTHING to do with my business because it’s my WHY. The reason I will work day-in-and-day-out to make my business thrive.
I found my WHY!! I will own a horse again and my business will provide the income needed to support that lifestyle.
I hope you’ve found your “WHY” for your business. It’s a game changer!