Ep 184: Committing to Continual Growth
In my mind, there is one thing that separates the good trainers from the great trainers, and that is a commitment to continual growth. Those who continue to seek out and absorb new perspectives, new methodologies and new systems are the ones who recognize and embrace the fact that there is always more to learn. They understand that, no matter what level you have reached, there is always an opportunity to get 1% better.
This concept of committing to continual growth has been a focal point in a few of the recent private and public clinics I have hosted in Utah and Oklahoma. In all of these clinic settings, we had some incredibly talented trainers and riders. Anymore, I seem to say this about everywhere that I go, but it really is true. The potential that I see in these horses and riders is endless. Regardless of where these trainers and horses are at in the development of that potential, there is a common thread that connects them all – every one of them embraces a growth mindset.
Growth is a continuously evolving process that requires intentional effort and dedication. Even when we have reached a pinnacle of success in a given area of our lives, there are always opportunities to learn from our experiences and identify areas that we can improve upon.
For me, growth involves seeking out feedback from others. I have always been a person who has sought out advice from mentors, and I believe this has been a key factor in seeing past the blind spots in my self evaluation and identifying opportunities for improvement. In my opinion, the key to receiving meaningful feedback is being open-minded.
At every one of my clinics, I always communicate the disclaimer that I am not here to change anyone’s program. I am just here to share my experiences and the tools and systems that have proven to be effective for the progression of my individual goals. I believe that no matter who you are seeking out mentorship and advice from, no one has it all figured out. We each just have a unique set of experiences that have informed us on best practices for our day-to-day training routines.
Even after being in the training business for 40+ years, I, too, continue to seek out new perspectives and new ways of looking at my training program. I believe that this kind of growth mentality is essential to developing your skills and staying at the peak of your potential. As soon as we assume that we’ve learned all there is to learn, that is the day when we will start to go backwards. Committing to the continual development of our skills is crucial to the longevity of our training careers.
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