In the front pages of all of the Quantum Savvy theory books from our lesson packs, is a short list of key elements needed in order to achieve any measure of success not just with horses but in all facets in life.
What makes a successful student?
be a horse lover want what’s best for him / her heart and desire clear, defined goals following a programme curiosity recognizing even the smallest of progress in yourself and in your horse positive attitude – looking for solutions not problems never give up
Take a close look at any truly successful person and you will see that they posses these traits and continuously look to improve them. And the really great thing about the habits of success is that they can be learnt by anyone with the desire to do so.
Having a positive attitude, one of solutions and expecting a positive outcome, goes a lot further than just positive or wishful thinking. When it comes to thinking, it pays to watch your thoughts.
The human brain is a powerful computer; thousands of times more powerful than any computer that you could buy and as with any computer, it may not always do what you want, however it will always do what you tell it to do. Much study has been done over the last hundred or so years and advancement made into understanding the human brain and how it works, which has led us to now know that whatever you think, your brain will put into action to make reality. Books like Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, written as far back as 1951 and studies in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), have taught us how the brain responds to our thoughts as commands. In other words, if you ask yourself a direct question your brain will search all of its databanks to find an answer. Have you ever gone to bed with a particular question on your mind and in the morning woken up with the answer presented to you? Over night your brain has gone into action to find the answer.
The only difficulty the brain has is in distinguishing something called ‘secondary gain’. This means it doesn’t readily identify ‘do’ or ‘don’t’. Try this experiment. Think of an elephant, a great big elephant with floppy ears. Get him pictured clearly in your mind. Now; don’t think of an elephant! What happens? In order to not think of an elephant, your brain first has to conjure up the image of one to not think of. Sometimes, the harder you try to not think of it, the stronger the image becomes. To get rid of the elephant, instead try thinking of something else, like a zebra and the elephant magically disappears.
When it comes to riding horses how will this kind of thinking affect you? Have you ever heard someone telling themselves, “I’m not going to fall off, I’m not going to fall off.” While they manage to stay on for a while – that’s the positive thinking part - eventually the brain takes over – ‘fall off, fall off, fall off’ – and guess what happens? It becomes like a self-fulfilling prophecy if you will.
So what then is the answer? Once again you must watch what you think. The person who wanted to stay on may have been better off thinking, “ I’m going to stay on, I’m going to stay on.” I’m sure at some point you have seen someone hang on through an amazing situation where everyone felt sure they would fall off. What do you think was going through that person’s brain as they hung there?
Learn to re-programme your brain using different words. Seek positive outcomes. Oh, and be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
Read More Road To Horsemanship articles.
- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.