 | Our true vocation in life, as Parker Palmer so aptly put it, is not answering a calling “out there” that demands we be something we are not. It is from our inner voice, calling us to be the person we were born to be. |
The world is full of people marking big black “Xs” through days that are done as they wait for their retirement to begin. They fell into working in a job they didn’t like from the beginning and progressed to working in a job they absolutely hated as time went by.
They have a lot of reasons for throwing their lives away in work they don’t find interesting or fulfilling. There are the realities of feeding a hungry family, the failure to have other options at different times and places in our lives, and our fear of leaving and giving up what little security we believe we have.
One of the most beautiful things about equine assisted learning programs such as HorseDream is the way they allow people come to grips with the idea of re-engaging with their work or making the decision to go down a different career path when they suddenly gain the insight that it is not working for them.
All of us need to work to have the financial means to sustain ourselves, but work also fulfills other needs, like giving us purpose, fulfilling our passions and permitting us to use our talents. When our work does not do anything more than sustain us financially, we soon grow weary of it and long for something more. Sometimes it is only when we re-discover ourselves through time spent with horses that we realize which parts of the work equation are missing from our lives.
One of the most beautiful things about equine assisted learning programs such as HorseDream is the way they allow people come to grips with the idea of re-engaging with their work or making the decision to go down a different career path when they suddenly gain the insight that it is not working for them. Horses don’t care what you do for a living. They do not judge you if you have been passed over for promotions or if you have ended up in a role that you hate and are doing it badly. They know only how you are treating them in the moment and whether what you say to them and encourage them to do is in sync with what you feel on the inside.
If they sense a disconnect between your emotions and your actions, they will not respond to you. Instead, they will continue to do what they were doing before you arrived, or they will merely walk or run away from you. You cannot put on a front with an animal that sees so clearly into your motives and intentions. You cannot fool the horse into believing you are a leader because your business card says that you are. The horse will decide if he will remain the leader, or if he will follow you.
Taking our lives and breaking them down into such a simple equation is vital when we are adults. Sometimes it is the only clue that we get that we are throwing away most of the days of our lives on a job we don’t like or aren’t suited for. It is up to us to deal with the insight when we receive it. But just knowing that something about us is not authentic is a good impetus for small changes, which may ultimately lead to large ones.
It is almost impossible for one person to advise on another person’s life without some element of judgment entering into the exchange. But the purity of the feedback we receive from horses surpasses the petty comparisons of our life with theirs, it surpasses their set of cultural or value beliefs, and it comes out as it is, now in this moment.
We can take it or leave it. The horse is unconcerned. If we take it, we can change our lives forever. If we leave it, we will still have planted a seed somewhere within us that will take root and spring to life unexpectedly in the future.
HorseDream Canada, founded by Susan Wilson, provides high impact, quality leadership and team development experiences for individuals, teams, leaders and companies. It is part of an internationally renowned Horse Assisted Education Program proving transformative learning experiences around the world. HorseDream Canada is a division of I DO BUSINESS. Inc., a social purpose business. For more information, contact us at [email protected]. Watch for our new book, Leadership 93/7 coming soon!
They have a lot of reasons for throwing their lives away in work they don’t find interesting or fulfilling. There are the realities of feeding a hungry family, the failure to have other options at different times and places in our lives, and our fear of leaving and giving up what little security we believe we have.
One of the most beautiful things about equine assisted learning programs such as HorseDream is the way they allow people come to grips with the idea of re-engaging with their work or making the decision to go down a different career path when they suddenly gain the insight that it is not working for them.
All of us need to work to have the financial means to sustain ourselves, but work also fulfills other needs, like giving us purpose, fulfilling our passions and permitting us to use our talents. When our work does not do anything more than sustain us financially, we soon grow weary of it and long for something more. Sometimes it is only when we re-discover ourselves through time spent with horses that we realize which parts of the work equation are missing from our lives.
One of the most beautiful things about equine assisted learning programs such as HorseDream is the way they allow people come to grips with the idea of re-engaging with their work or making the decision to go down a different career path when they suddenly gain the insight that it is not working for them. Horses don’t care what you do for a living. They do not judge you if you have been passed over for promotions or if you have ended up in a role that you hate and are doing it badly. They know only how you are treating them in the moment and whether what you say to them and encourage them to do is in sync with what you feel on the inside.
If they sense a disconnect between your emotions and your actions, they will not respond to you. Instead, they will continue to do what they were doing before you arrived, or they will merely walk or run away from you. You cannot put on a front with an animal that sees so clearly into your motives and intentions. You cannot fool the horse into believing you are a leader because your business card says that you are. The horse will decide if he will remain the leader, or if he will follow you.
Taking our lives and breaking them down into such a simple equation is vital when we are adults. Sometimes it is the only clue that we get that we are throwing away most of the days of our lives on a job we don’t like or aren’t suited for. It is up to us to deal with the insight when we receive it. But just knowing that something about us is not authentic is a good impetus for small changes, which may ultimately lead to large ones.
It is almost impossible for one person to advise on another person’s life without some element of judgment entering into the exchange. But the purity of the feedback we receive from horses surpasses the petty comparisons of our life with theirs, it surpasses their set of cultural or value beliefs, and it comes out as it is, now in this moment.
We can take it or leave it. The horse is unconcerned. If we take it, we can change our lives forever. If we leave it, we will still have planted a seed somewhere within us that will take root and spring to life unexpectedly in the future.
HorseDream Canada, founded by Susan Wilson, provides high impact, quality leadership and team development experiences for individuals, teams, leaders and companies. It is part of an internationally renowned Horse Assisted Education Program proving transformative learning experiences around the world. HorseDream Canada is a division of I DO BUSINESS. Inc., a social purpose business. For more information, contact us at [email protected]. Watch for our new book, Leadership 93/7 coming soon!
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