January always brings a time of reflection for me as I wade through the piles or reciepts trying to figure out my taxes. Each numerical figure I write on the page reminds me about places I've been, the people I have worked with and the things I did throughout the year. With over 16,000 business miles on my car and the opportunity to personally work with over 200 great people eager to learn to be better horsemen it would be hard not to accomplished something. Based on my calculations 2008 was my best year yet despite the high fuel prices, stock market worries, and high unemployment. Both the personal and professional goals I have achieved and those I am still attaining to reach are an important part of my planning for 2009. As a possibility thinker I am setting even high goals for this year despite the doom and gloom stories the new reporters continue to feed us. I have never felt better about who I am, what I am doing, where I am at and the vision I have for the future, which keeps growing.
This month I am one of the guest speakers at MarketPlace Conference for Small Businesses in NE at North Platte. The topic of my presentation is "Creating a Vision for Your Business". As I am preparing the material I will handout I thought it would be a good time to revisit the vision I have for Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship LLC and then revise it once again.
I have trained horses and given riding lessons on and off all of my life, especially in the summer time while I was a school teacher. This has always been my passion but the vision to make it real didn't happen until 1998 when I went to my first natural horsemanship clinic. I knew from that moment forward that my life with horses would never be the same. This was a turning point in my life. On new years day of 2000 I wrote down a goal on a small piece of paper which was the beginning of actually living my dreams. It said, "I want to be doing something with horses where I can make a living at it by the time I am 50 years old." I quit my job 4 years ago to follow this dream and last year I turned 50 so I not only met the goal I have exceeded it above my expectations.
I believe that most of the success of Heart in Your Hand Horsemanship has been due to the leadership skills I have learned through natural horsemanship principles. Everything the horses teach me I have been applying to both my professional and personal life. Whenever I have a difficulty with a horse my first reaction is to believe it will be possible to resolve the difficulty. Second I start digging to see what the problem really is and how it can be solved. I don't just complain about the symptoms I look deep for the root causes. Third I am determined to use practical progressive steps which slowly build confidence and success. I don't get in a hurry to make it happen, rather I allow it to happen because I set it up for success. Fourth I have the drive to not give up until the work is complete.
The secret to horsemanship is being a true leader and it is the secret ingredient to building a business as well. When leading horses our intention and focus must be clear if we desire the horse to follow our suggestions. A horse will flounder without this clarity and so will a business.
Nobody else can set your dreams for you. However, I challenge you to be a possibility thinker this year. Let faith be the force that sets your goals, guides your decisions, solidifies your commitment, and glues everything together allowing the dreams to become reality.
Best Wishes,
Sherry Jarvis
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