Proving It
When I was 6, my mom enrolled me in a horse camp. I was smaller and younger than the rest of the kids, but I had ridden a few times before, so I was confident the morning of the first day. Mom drove me to camp, and as we pulled up, an old gruff man approached us. He asked me, "Can you handle this?" Now me, a small, shy 6 year old, took the biggest leap of courage, puffed up my chest, and answered him loudly saying, "Yes sir, and I can prove it!" He laughed, his beer belly jiggling, and replied "Good, otherwise you're going in the water tank!"
15 years later, I live to tell the tale, and never ended up in the water tank. This has a couple of takeaways that I'd like to share.
1). Horses bring people out of their shell.
As a premie, who went on to later have a speech delay, I wasn't big on talking, and was very shy. In school, I was never the one to answer questions, and dreaded the days I had to present in front of the class. Though I still get the occasional stage fright, and enjoy crawling into my hermit hole as much as the next introvert, you can count on the fact that I can now bring myself to talk, present, and, God forbid- call someone on the phone. I can genuinely say that I have horses to thank for that. Horses are the best listeners, and they don't talk back. It started with a simple, "How was your day?" or a "Did you sleep well?" to the horse I had for a lesson. This led to me gaining the confidence to then ask my instructor those same questions, or a fellow student. The next time you saddle up for a lesson, I encourage you to talk to your horse. Not only does it help you to bond, it can help gain confidence, and bring you out of your shell.
2). Go to the event.
Yes, movies, video games, and youtube are all the rave nowadays, but nothing beats social interaction. Make memories, the fact that I still know the names of the horses from that camp go to show how lasting these events can be on your life. Double Stuff and Socks agree. 😄
3). Thank the person who challenged you.
The same old gruff man, who scared me to death, yet gave me confidence, just recently retired this past year. Who knows how many others he had this affect on. Regardless, I'm thankful for him. One, for not putting me in the water tank, and two, for giving me a chance to prove myself. If he hadn't let me come to camp, who knows where that confidence would be today. Thank your instructors, thank your leaders, and thank your role models. There's a good chance they were in your same shoes all those years ago.
