Sometimes you should ride the horse...{Achieving Your Goals} -

I was fortunate to be able to take my children to Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, New York on a mini-vacation this past week.

We did so much in the three days that we were there. We rode horses, used paddleboats, went fishing, went mountain tubing, and ate a whole lot of food! It was a great time! I was able to focus on my kids and relax.

My short get-away gave me the time and space to focus on my goals, and reemphasized how important it is to align your actions to your goals.

Below, I discuss my two important take-aways.

Lesson 1: FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT

I was reminded of the importance of making time to spend uninterrupted time with those that we love. As anyone over 35 will attest, time goes by too quickly; you blink, and somehow a year or more has passed.

In the busy time that we live in, we are easily distracted, and it is very challenging for most of us to stay FOCUSED. Even when we take time off, we are distracted; we are on our digital devices or we are engaged in something other than our companion. We are thinking about what is coming next instead of enjoying the present moment.

Personally, my yoga practice has helped me practice and understand the “gift” of staying in the present moment.

When you practice asana (the physical poses) in yoga, you generally have to be “in the moment” because many of the poses are challenging. Your mind is not able to wander because you must keep attention to the detail of the poses. For instance, when you are focusing on getting and staying in a pose that is challenging to you, you are not thinking about running errands or paying bills.

Thanks to yoga’s ability to help us to become more aware and present, I am better able to remind myself that the I only have control over the present moment when I start to get anxious about an upcoming event or situation. As a result of this awareness, I have found that most of the potentially anxiety causing future events aren’t as nerve wracking as I could have “worked them up” to be.

However, really being present does have other benefits. You get to notice things that you would otherwise miss if you were distracted. You get to see the beauty of the flowers and trees, you get to enjoy a nice breeze on a warm day, or (in my case) you get to observe the love and wonder in the eyes of your children.

This week, I was able to align my actions with one of my goals of spending truly quality time with my children and creating positive life-long memories for all of us. It re-emphasized the importance of family in my goal categories (See my post on setting goals.) and directly aligned to my goal of always ensuring that I am as present as possible when spending time with loved ones.

Lesson 2: STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I have never been much of a risk taker. Instead, I tend to make the err on the caution. However, I know that I will never be able to achieve many of my goals if don’t sometimes step out of my comfort zone.

My seven year old did make it to the top to ring the bell.

This week, at Rocking Horse Ranch, I was reminded that children are natural risk-takers. My seven year old daughter didn’t hesitate to climb to the top of the rock wall, catch a fish, or ride a horse much bigger than her. Both of my daughters, both under ten years old, went out together on a kayak without hesitation.

Me, on the other hand, was full of hesitation for some of the week’s activities. For instance, my fear of heights and tendency to avoid activities where I lack control almost caused me to miss out on mountain tubing with my children. Also, when I found out that my first horse riding experience in fifteen or more years would be on one of the biggest horses at the ranch, I almost decided to “bow out.”

However, my daughters’ pleas to participate with them, along with messages from my “rational brain” that reminded be that the facility wouldn’t endorse the activities if it was likely they would be harmful, helped me to leave my comfort zone and enjoy the activities.

My decision was reinforced when I witnessed a older man, looking to be in his eighties, mountain tube. You could tell he was hesitant, but he inevitably decided to leave his comfort zone too.

But as we get older and learn to fear failure, we start holding ourselves back and attempting fewer new things. As a result, we end up limiting our growth.

If you end up looking at your goals, you will most likely realize that you MUST step outside of your comfort zone to achieve the goals that you set for yourself. As leading self-development expert Brian Tracy said, “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”

Therefore, if given the opportunity, allow yourself to experience growth and move toward achieving your goals. In other words, ride the horse!