How to Reach Your Goals

It’s easy to get caught up in the “perfectionist” trap. But being so focused on being “perfect” prevents us from taking action or making any progress at all.

So, forget perfection.

It’s not the pathway to success.

• You’re going to have a few “oops” moments
• You’re going to fall short of your goals
• You’re going to have a bad day
• You’re going to lose some of your motivation

But “you’re only human”.

That’s ok. You’re still incredible.

Ease up on yourself.

I know you may still have doubts…

• Am I good enough to train my own horse?
• Is my horse too much for me?
• Is my horse too far gone to bring back?
• Is this just wishful thinking?

I often hear, “I had almost lost hope, before I found your programs.”

And… “you’re my last chance.”

I get it. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and trust isn’t built overnight.

Luckily, I promise that I’m in it for the long haul if you are too. I’m here to help, genuinely.

Despite the doubts in your mind, now is not the time to give up hope.

So, take your doubts, roll them into a ball and toss them out the window.

“A horse doesn’t care how much you know, until he knows how much you care.” – Pat Parelli

The first step to reaching your goals is belief. I think it is the most important step too.

Believe!

It’s that simple.

Here’s an example of just that…

After reading last week’s blog about me moving Apollo, I had a few people email me asking about the feral barn cat, Tiger. He has been seen in a few of my program lesson videos.

Here’s a little background on the barn cat Tiger.

Tiger was dropped off at the farm when he was a few weeks old and luckily he survived on his own for about a year before I leased the property.

The property had been abandoned for years before I leased it.

Even though the property was empty, Tiger found shelter and food in the old cobb barn. Then when I showed up, I started feeding him and befriended him.

Tiger really loved to hang out with me and my horses. It was sweet to see, because Jazz, D’Artagnan, and Apollo took very good care of Tiger.  He would also share their barn stalls on occasion to stay warm.

Even though he was a feral cat, after a few years he allowed me to get close to him and pick him up. However, it was always on his terms.

He would jump in my lap for a minute or two and he allowed me to pick him up to give him a short hug, but only when he wanted it.

Tiger was still very skittish with other people and wouldn’t let anyone else close to him.

He had learned to survive on his own and was used to being alone.

I was happy for any interaction as I had grown very attached to him. In the last year he had become even more connected to me too and would run to me every time he heard my voice.

You could tell he was happy to see me and I was happy to see him too. It was pure joy.

Well, the new owner of the farm has decided to tear everything down and bulldoze it for a housing development.

It’s so sad to see a property that has been a beautiful horse farm for the last 100 years demolished. It even had its own racetrack.

But this meant that Tiger was losing the only home he had known and with me and Apollo leaving, he was also losing the only family that he had known.

I couldn’t just leave him there. So, I decided that I needed to figure out a way to bring Tiger home with me. The issue was how?

I was really stressing about this because I didn’t want him to get scared and run. I didn’t want him to get hurt in the barn that was being demolished. And I didn’t want him to be without a safe place to stay during the freezing nights that were coming up.

I was so nervous about trying to “catch him” that when I went out, I had to really settle myself down before getting out of my car.

I did my breathing exercises and some mindful meditations. I knew that if I was nervous, Tiger would know it from a mile away and wouldn’t let me get close to him.

I also had to settle my mind down as I was trying to do it “perfectly” and figure out how to do it right. I had to tell myself to just let go of all the monkey brain distractions, the ideas of “being perfect”, and believe that I could bring Tiger home without incident.

And guess what?

I got out of the car, took my cat carrier to the barn and I saw Tiger come running to me. So, I put the cat carrier down (open), picked Tiger up, gave him a hug and asked him if he wanted to come home with me, and then placed him gently in the carrier.

He gladly obliged without any incident.

I was really surprised. It happened so easily and effortlessly that I just knew it was meant to be. I actually cried when I got back in the car because Tiger had been the one who made it happen.

Tiger going into the cat carrier so willingly was his way of telling me “Yes, I want to come home with you.” I was so happy!

That was my proof that belief is the most important thing you need to do whatever it is you want to do.

Whether it is bringing a feral cat home or training your horse.

No matter what we are trying to do – in business, love, health, parenting, etc. – if we don’t believe we can, and if we do not trust our ability to figure it out and absolutely go for it, then we won’t. Not fully anyway.

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you’re right.”

You can’t do anything well without believing in and trusting in yourself.

All you need is yourself and a commitment to learning and believing in your ability to embrace it and make it work for good.

Changing habits is hard and many people drop out of programs, forget lessons learned at clinics or just don’t want to try them at home, and lose their motivation halfway before reaching their goals.

That’s why I designed my programs in small, easy to digest, mini courses. They can be done when you have time. Plus, they all have specific purposes that build on each other to help you succeed.

With the completion of each program, according to psychology, you are 3 times more likely to reach your ultimate goal.

Take a moment to think about how good you’ll feel when you complete each mini course knowing that you just took a step closer to your dream.

I talk a lot about mindfulness, but I am also about celebrating and feeling good along the way.

Studies in Positive Psychology show that people actually feel happier before a significant event like a vacation, a party, or a graduation than during or after the event.

Belief and anticipation are the keys to happiness.

So, go ahead and close your eyes and picture yourself riding out on trail with your horse, happy together, your horse listening to your every request, and the two of you enjoying time together exploring nature.

…Or whatever your goals are with your horse.

Feeling proud and accomplished. Now, take a deep breath and savor just one more picture of joy and take it all in.

You can do it! Believe in yourself and in your horse.

And, if you would like some help reaching your horse goals please check out my programs here and see if there is something that can help.

https://teddiezieglerhorsemanship.com/learn/

Ps… When Tiger got home with me, he was thrilled and couldn’t stop saying thank you with rubs, purrs, and cuddles. He even slept with me and curled up in my arms all night. It was amazing!