 | Horses do not care about your “brand” or the façade you show the world. They see past that, into all those areas you think you have camouflaged. |
In the 1960s, psychoanalyst D. W. Winnicott got the world talking about what he labelled our “true selves” and our “false selves.”
Our false self is in essence the defensive façade we expose to the world; our true self is what is deep within us, our genuine state of being.
In the almost 60 years since then, our increasingly complex roles in life have blurred the lines for many of us about who we really are, and indeed, that has become the question of our age.
Horses are like moving mirrors to our true selves. They are unimpressed with your façade; you cannot lie to them, they will see right through you.
As the famous horse trainer Dan “Buck” Brannaman said in the documentary Buck (www.buckthefilm) about his work, “the horse is a mirror to your soul. Sometimes you might not like what you see. Sometimes you will.”
If you want to look into a mirror and see your true self, engage with horses through some of the many training and development programs offered through HorseDream Canada.
Our HorseDream partners often discuss how many clients tend to blame their horses if the initial experience with them does not go to their liking. They think it is all the horse’s fault, that the horse has issues.
As their training continues, and they begin to grasp the concepts of the program, slowly they realize that it is their own behavior that is causing the issues with the horse.
The horse does not care that the person has a high-powered job and is very important in their world. The horse does not care that they are decisive and that others jump to do their bidding in their place of work.
In the meadow, the horse sees only what is on the inside of the person. They pick up on blocked intuition, on stress, on the shields of ego that hide a bully or a person who is not empathetic to their needs.
When we strip away the layers of our personal brand or ego, we reveal our true self, what some call soul and others see as their basic dignity and human spirit. The true self is who we are when we remove all our plastic wrap.
HorseDream is an amazing way to help us see clearly deep into our own true selves. It helps us evaluate our motivations and perceptions. In that moment, we begin our journey of true growth.
Why does it matter that we find our true selves? Why can’t we live comfortably behind our chosen façade?
The key is that while we may live comfortably in our contrived self, we cannot live fully. We will find ourselves lost in the hierarchies and false structures of our world of work, and stopping short of finding our true purpose in life, doing the work that really matters to us.
Your false self can also serve as a red herring to what is really going on in your life. It causes you unnecessary stress and pushes you to take offence. Your true self is aware of the real meaning of things and does not respond with ego.
That is not to suggest that you should come to hate your false self after you peel back the layers to discover your true self. Consider your false self merely a gathering of components from which you will reassemble your true self. It is not worthless or without value; in fact, many parts of it are good and noble.
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 providing 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!
Our false self is in essence the defensive façade we expose to the world; our true self is what is deep within us, our genuine state of being.
In the almost 60 years since then, our increasingly complex roles in life have blurred the lines for many of us about who we really are, and indeed, that has become the question of our age.
Horses are like moving mirrors to our true selves. They are unimpressed with your façade; you cannot lie to them, they will see right through you.
As the famous horse trainer Dan “Buck” Brannaman said in the documentary Buck (www.buckthefilm) about his work, “the horse is a mirror to your soul. Sometimes you might not like what you see. Sometimes you will.”
If you want to look into a mirror and see your true self, engage with horses through some of the many training and development programs offered through HorseDream Canada.
Our HorseDream partners often discuss how many clients tend to blame their horses if the initial experience with them does not go to their liking. They think it is all the horse’s fault, that the horse has issues.
As their training continues, and they begin to grasp the concepts of the program, slowly they realize that it is their own behavior that is causing the issues with the horse.
The horse does not care that the person has a high-powered job and is very important in their world. The horse does not care that they are decisive and that others jump to do their bidding in their place of work.
In the meadow, the horse sees only what is on the inside of the person. They pick up on blocked intuition, on stress, on the shields of ego that hide a bully or a person who is not empathetic to their needs.
When we strip away the layers of our personal brand or ego, we reveal our true self, what some call soul and others see as their basic dignity and human spirit. The true self is who we are when we remove all our plastic wrap.
HorseDream is an amazing way to help us see clearly deep into our own true selves. It helps us evaluate our motivations and perceptions. In that moment, we begin our journey of true growth.
Why does it matter that we find our true selves? Why can’t we live comfortably behind our chosen façade?
The key is that while we may live comfortably in our contrived self, we cannot live fully. We will find ourselves lost in the hierarchies and false structures of our world of work, and stopping short of finding our true purpose in life, doing the work that really matters to us.
Your false self can also serve as a red herring to what is really going on in your life. It causes you unnecessary stress and pushes you to take offence. Your true self is aware of the real meaning of things and does not respond with ego.
That is not to suggest that you should come to hate your false self after you peel back the layers to discover your true self. Consider your false self merely a gathering of components from which you will reassemble your true self. It is not worthless or without value; in fact, many parts of it are good and noble.
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 providing 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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