Life Lesson #1

Own your mistakes..... they are the only things that are truly your own. I heard that I don't know how many times , especially in High School. Of course, I thought it was a total load of crap. I know some of you might get tired of me talking about Parelli but this is one of the great life lessons that really sunk in when starting their program and it has been powerful.

The way it equates for horses is that they are herd animals. They survive because they are keenly aware to what is going on and what the animal next to them is doing. When they are on a rope they are acting the way they are because of the individual that is next to them... holding the rope. It's your fault. Did a horse get too responsive to something off in the distance. Well, you haven't proven your leadership.... It's your fault. Did you cue the horse incorrectly? .... were you too forceful?....did you rush the horse? We are the ones who own the gadgets, create artificial scenarios, apply the force ... it's our fault. PERIOD!

So, I take this information and I apply it to my life. The first couple of times you have to say you were wrong can be hard. But then you start realizing the power of the thing. If you were wrong then you are also the one who can most easily fix it as well. The estimation that others hold you in changes. You become more honest and people know it. You become the can-do guy. And when someone else tries to lay a mistake at your door and you say "That one isn't mine", others know it's true. You get much more clarity and control of yourself. With time, you even make far fewer mistakes. You have learned so much more from the fixing then you would have by evading your own errors.

I know a person who can evade all blame. Nothing in their relationships with people is their fault. Nothing in relationships with horses is their fault. Nothing at their job is their fault. And they dwindle and become ineffectual in their blameless lives.

I make mistakes. I fix them. When a problem needs a new approach. I back up and try to figure it out from another angle. I learn new ways to do things. I think on my feet better. I'm more imaginative. I'm happier because I'm not living in fear that someone will find out something, somewhere is my fault. There is no dread. The perk is that I am much happier with my own mistakes then I am with someone else's. It has been a GREAT life lesson!

louie