Everything is a choice even when we do nothing

I don't know about you, but for me, this year is just flying by! Maybe it's because there are so many exciting new things happening, or maybe the things my Mom warned me about are finally coming true - YIKES! "Just wait till you get older, you will see how fast time goes by!"

Or my other favorite as a kid when we had to take naps after lunch and didn't want to - "There will be a day when you WISH you could take a nap!". Yes, I admit, my Mom was right. What we all would give for THAT to be a possibility now!

And since I mentioned changes - I might as well tell you right now - because I am so darn excited about it! I made the decision to leave my corporate job at the end of March and dedicate myself full-time to the business of helping horses feel better, perform better and be happier. No, I didn't just wake up one morning and say: ENOUGH! I thought about it and planned it for quite a long time.

You see, I am extremely passionate about my work with horses. It makes me get up in the morning - even though I am a morning grouch. I think about it 24/7 - everything I read or watch or listen to somehow always circles back to how I can help horses be more at peace with the life we ask them to life and the job we ask them to perform. I get excited reading about and studying topics such as bio-mechanics, training, the impact of tack, anatomy and physiology, how even our own emotional lives influence our horses. And now, there are so many more things to consider! So many new scientific discoveries like Epi-Genetics and Quantum Physics/Quantum Entanglement - giving us more in depth, amazing, scientifically proven feedback on all the intuitive and mysterious things we as horse lovers and owners knew but could not prove. 

However, my every day life - 50+ hours a week - was filled with things other than what made me giddy with excitement. Don't get me wrong - I had a really great job and worked with great people. I loved my clients and forged some amazing relationships and even friendships. And I learned a great amount about myself and great customer service. But after 18 years, it no longer was the right fit, the right challenge. So I gave notice a year ago - I announced I would be leaving at the end of March 2017. I made a choice - the choice to follow my heart and really go after my soul work. Fully and consciously.

Horses speak to our soul - if you are around them for any length of time, if you look into their eyes, feel their breath on your cheek. you can't possibly deny their immense power to look at you and SEE you. To see past all your walls, all your excuses, your fears. They see your dreams, your wishes - the stardust we are all made of. They require us to make choices we never even dreamed we would make. And no, I am not talking about what color saddle pad we will buy for this show season (although this can be quite a dilemma considering all the super cool ones we can now pick from!).

I am talking about making choices that ask us to grow on a much deeper level. To become more aware, to become kinder, to become softer, to become more forgiving - and giving. To become more assertive without being aggressive, to become more giving without becoming a doormat, to become greater communicators, to become better listeners. To change our story!

To BECOME CONNECTED. 

To our horses, to ourselves, to our families, to our passions. To what is important and to learn to recognize it. To make better choices and gain clarity about what this life is all about.

I recently spoke with a friend about a situation - she didn't know if she should or should not do something. And I said - you have to make a choice. Because even NOT doing something is a choice, but be clear about making it. Be clear WHY you don't want to do it. And then choose, and own that choice. You see, sometimes we wait, we wait to gain clarity on what we should do or not do. But waiting is a choice too. You can wait around for divine inspiration or you can CHOOSE to ask for it. Because it will come. But if we learn how to ask clearly, with purpose and intent, the answer can come much quicker!

You see, I could have stayed in my corporate job, I could have built it into something bigger, better, more impactful. I could have made a difference even there - influencing people in many ways, creating change, challenging the status quo (my favorite!). I could have made a choice to become the very best even in that situation.

But I knew without a doubt it would have been a choice out of fear. Fear of "what if's" - a list impressively long. Fear of having to become a brand-new me so I could really step into this new life fully and with presence so I can SERVE my clients.

I had to ask myself: What do I really want? Who do I really want to be? What do I really want to bring to the table? Who do I really want to serve?

So I decided to take a leap of faith. To trust myself, to trust what my heart was telling me, to take a risk. To just go for it and jump.

It's a choice I made, it's a choice I make every morning and many times during the day. Re-deciding what I want my life to look like, what I want to accomplish. And more importantly, how to best serve you and your horse. 

You see, that's really what this choice is all about. I wanted, more than anything, to be able to help more horses and their owners. 

Everything we do is a choice. But more importantly, everything we choose NOT do to is also a choice. So many times we default to not doing, to put it off, to just let things happen. But how many opportunities do we miss to really live the life we want and dream of? How many times do we put our life and our goals on hold because we are afraid of making that choice? 

So I invite you to choose - choose to go after your dreams, choose to listen to your gut (and your heart!). Go after that job, that promotion, that goal. Go take that dance or yoga class, go join that book club, go sign up for those show classes you always wanted to participate in but didn't think you were good enough. And then DO it. Make the choice and recommit every day. 

And if you choose to reach the next level of performance and connection with your horse, choose to have the right people on your team. People who care about your dreams, your joy, who will be as committed to you and your equine partner as nobody else. 

Don't let the music die inside of you.