Nope, it’s not a swear word!
The word I’m talking about can flip your thinking instantaneously, and I’d love you to try it out for size. But first, let’s think of where it’s useful.
As a rider, we all have those mindset gremlins that can plague our progress if we let them. You know, those phrases that begin with “I can’t”.
“I can’t canter”
“I can’t jump that fence”
“I can’t hack out on my own”
“I can’t ride along the scary side of the school”
I’m sure you can think of many more!
You might be right; at this particular point in time, maybe you actually are not able to do the thing, but that doesn’t mean you never will.
My favourite 3 letter word is YET!
“I can’t canter… YET”
“I can’t jump that fence… YET”
“I can’t hack out on my own… YET”
“I can’t ride along the scary side of the school… YET”
What impact does that 3 letter word have?
For me, it opens up the possibility that the thing COULD happen in the future. It allows me to keep a little perspective; no, I may not have the skills/confidence/situation to do the thing RIGHT NOW, but that certainly doesn’t mean that I’ll never be able to do it.
YET reminds you that riding is a learning journey. A process. One that never ends (unless we tell ourselves that). YET is kind; it reminds you that whatever stage you are at is a step on the journey, and that wherever you are currently at does not mean that you’ll be there forever. Unless you want to be (but that’s a different challenge!)
YET speaks directly to your unconscious mind and opens up the story.
Yes it will inevitably take mindset and confidence work, alongside development of relevant skills, in order to get you to the point where you CAN do the thing, however you have everything that you need to get there, haven’t you? All you need to do is make a plan… and begin by take the first tiny step along the road to reaching your goals.
YET. My favourite 3 letter word.
I’d love to hear your experiences trying this out, so do get in touch via social media, or comment below 🙂
Catch up soon!
Alison // The Everyday Equestrian
www.theeverydayequestrian.co.uk
info@theeverydayequestrian.co.uk
07973 788 480
P.S. If you haven’t yet joined, please do go and find my FREE Facebook group, called Inspired Equestrian Training, where you can join a super lovely community of horse riders and owners, and benefit from a whole heap of training, mindset and practical horse management resources.
Click HERE to join the group
