Ep 141: Knowing When to Rest
You always hear people say, "work hard, and success will come to you." While I believe this to be true, I also know that I have run myself into the ground just for the sake of "working hard." Over the years, I've learned that knowing when to take a break can be one of my biggest assets as a trainer.
I just returned home from our last major run of summer clinics. On this trip, I went from coast to coast–Washington to Maine–while hitting a few clinics in the Dakotas along the way. While I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to instruct clinics in these areas, I will say that the miles and time away from home has taken a toll on me.
We’re in the dog days of summer here in Oklahoma, and that means early mornings and long days trying to avoid the heat. Between the early alarms and my general lack of sleep over the past few weeks, I laid in bed last night feeling truly tapped out.
This morning, I woke up and, per my normal routine, went to the barn and grabbed a halter. When I stepped into the pen to catch my first horse of the day, I looked into that horse’s eyes and I saw the fatigue that I felt reflected back to me.
These horses have been experiencing the early mornings and the long, hot, exhausting days as well. I’ve got a truly great set of horses in for training right now, and each of them has performed outstanding thus far into the week. So, I decided to reward their effort with a day off.
Now, some of you might say this is lazy. Some of you may call me a hypocrite. I’m the guy that always preaches about the importance of hard work, routines and consistency. But, I’ve learned that in order for me to maintain the energy I need to work hard and consistently keep up with those routines, I have to take time to recharge my batteries every once in a while.
Sure, I could have put that halter on that horse today and gone through the motions with my normal training routine. But, I decided that just going through the motions wasn’t going to be a productive use of time. I recognized the fatigue in myself, and in my horses, and decided that the most productive use of our time would be resting.
At one point in my career, I would have let this decision weigh on me. I would have looked at myself as a failure for not sticking it out and getting the job done. But, that’s just the thing–getting the job done at half of my effort isn’t really getting the job done at all. In order for me to be at my best, I have to recognize when to rest.
If you are having a day where you are feeling truly tapped out, this is your permission slip to take a day to rest and recharge. Your horses deserve for you to be at your best. Allow yourself to rest so that you can meet your tasks ahead with the energy and enthusiasm that your horses need from you. Sometimes, knowing when to rest is the most efficient way to get your 1% better today.
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