Opportunity Knocks

I don’t care if you are a small time local Barrel Racer starting out, or an old seasoned pro, opportunity will come disguised as something else, but in the end all you have to do is say YES. 

I’ve made it a habit this year of saying YES more often, especially when I was unsure of what I was getting into. I believe they call this “out of your comfort zone”. And let me tell you, that is the land of opportunity. 

Sometimes one yes, leads down a path, to where you were hoping to land anyhow. It was just a grown in bush trail with a few prickly’s, that people passed by. 

If anyone knows me, they know that I’m very set in my ways, and sometimes put the blinders on. I blame this on the immense tragedy I’ve endured, and call this a defence mechanism. 

2018, is all about growth. I started out determined to grow. As an individual, as a trainer, and as a competitor. I’ve read countless books on sports physiology, effectiveness, and mental strategies.

I’m a closet nerd, so I also read political science book, on war strategy, and passed presidents. You would not believe the similarities to sports and war. My joke within my circle, is that I’m going off to battle (a barrel race) for the weekend. I also use terminology like “ so and so had to retreat and better arm her defences”. LOL this actually just means that the horse needed more work, or adjustments to compete in the area they were planning to. 

You can never count any competitor out. 

This is almost an unwritten, now written rule. Generally the person who is struggling, is sorting things out, and about to make a move. 

Now, back to the topic. As barrel racers we are trained to be on guard. Have you ever seen an individual struggling, and a professional or trainer offer advice? ( of  course you have, this happens all the time). 

You have also seen said individual say NO I’ve got this handled and continue on their rougher course. Maybe they have tried your advice, maybe they have already been advised, or maybe they are just plain old in coachable. 

But sometimes, in this situation, you see the individual gracious take the advice and put it to work. And weeks later the issue they were having has been so long erased its forgotten. ( This individual is a winner.) 

In my experiences, winning first is everyone’s goal. If you want to be the best in whatever aspect of the sport, you had better do a lot of winning. 

But, as I’ve matured as a competitor, I’ve learnt that being a winner, is something purely different than winning. 

Being a winner, is someone who is dedicated to improving themselves under all circumstances. 

A great example is college football ALLSTARS or whatever the top dogs are called. These people rarely have “what it takes” to play in the NFL because they have already reached stardom at their chosen level, they forget to develop their game to a level that will create them a long career in the NFL. 

Whether your competition goes well or not, take from it, to better your game for the future. 

And remember if someone offers you something out of this world, do not be afraid to say YES. That’s opportunity, and she’s knocking.