Motivation in 2016: Be the Best You

You have to better yourself before you can expect to beat anyone else.... I was at a High School Rodeo and I heard a girl say “I just hope I don’t go out there and look stupid”. I am not a great sports psychologist or anything but I would assume that if this is a goal, you are probably never going to get much better at anything.... ever! The key is set an attainable goal, reach that goal and set another one. It is probably not going to work to enter your first rodeo with winning as your goal but instead if your fastest time on a barrel pattern in a pen is 19.00, try to be an 18.70. If they win the race with a 17.2 it isn’t very realistic that you all of a sudden shave a couple seconds off your best time but if your goal was to only be three tenths faster... you still kinda win! A good thing about rodeo is that there are levels at which to compete that are suited to your ability. From 4-H play days to amateur and pro rodeos, a #6 to an open roping and everything in between. If I were to enter some # 15 5-steer draw roping, unless I was pretty lucky that day, there is a pretty good chance that I leave there 1) not feeling real confident in my ability and 2) out a couple hundred dollars. One the other hand if I enter a lower numbered roping where the majority of the people are at a similar ability level to me; I have a much better chance of doing well, I will gain confidence and more likely end the day a better roper. It is so important to not let the performance of others be the measure of our success all the time. Obviously to beat everyone is the ultimate goal but along the way don’t be afraid to celebrate the whole bunch little victories you can make for yourself. I promise it makes the journey way more fun. Thanks for reading! Sheigh