Ep 153: The Influence of an Outside Perspective
As a goal-driven person, I have a tendency to put my head down and put in the work it takes to achieve my goals. Whether that is a horsemanship goal, a business goal, or a personal goal, I always need something that I am chasing after. However, sometimes, I can become so laser focused on these goals that I fail to pick my head up and get a fresh perspective.
Being a clinician, you would think that this is a concept I would have mastered by now. But, I’ll be the first to say that there are times when I need an outside perspective just as much as the next person. In episode 152, Taking Advantage of the Opportunities You Have Today, I shared about my experiences being mentored by my good friend, Shannon Frascht. And today, I want to share the irony of this experience.
As a professional horse trainer, I am always preaching to my students to focus on their horsemanship first, then the rest of the job becomes easy. When I sent my roping videos to Shannon, I was expecting him to call me and tell me all about the changes I needed to make with my roping. But instead, he told me all about the changes I needed to make with my horse. I had become so laser focused on the idea of catching that I failed to get my horse in a position that was going to make that goal much easier to accomplish.
Even at 58 years old, it is evident that I still need someone to give me an outside perspective so I can reset my focus on the right things. Oftentimes, an outside perspective is not going to change your entire approach; however, it can be the pivotal piece that helps you identify one or two small changes that can influence your outcome.
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