DECEMBER
2003 Issue Don’t Look Back | |
I love to ride horses over jumps. The process
is exhilarating. I was thinking about jumping on horseback the other day and I
recalled from many years ago the words of a riding instructor talking about show
jumping with horses. He said, “When you hear the jump rail get clunked by
your horse's hoof, DON'T LOOK BACK! Keep both eyes forward and focus on the next
jump, you can’t fix anything back there! That “clunk” sound
is very distracting to the rider. It is a dull thump of hoof on wood that all
riders recognize. It means one of two possible things have happened. The rail
has only been ticked and is still up and the rider will not be charged with faults
(penalty points) or, sadly, the rail will fall from the jump standards and the
rider will be charged with faults on her ride. Not only is the sound distracting,
the temptation to turn to see if the rail came down is powerful. It blurs the
rider's focus on the next fence. A rider already has his eyes and attention on
the next jump as he clears the rail directly under him. Timing is critical and
focus is imperative. Good timing and good concentration. So you are
starting to see the analogy already. Competing on a horse in a jumping class is
much like the way we all do our jobs or run our businesses. The jump class is
a series of jumps of different types over a mapped course. The horse and rider
are a team that meets each challenge head on. Your job is to be prepared
to do the best you can on each jump in your day. Sometimes we tick, knockdown
or crash on the jumps in our way. The riding coach has the right idea when he
says, don't look back. He means the next jump is coming quickly from the future
to the present and the past jump is history. The past is water over the dam, under
the bridge and out to sea. You need to focus on the next hurdle with all of your
power of concentration. The time for analysis of what happened is later, when
the round is over. Too often, we get hung up on what has happened instead of what
is happening right now and what is the next hurdle. We know that we can't change
history but that doesn't stop us from dwelling on it. I don't suspect my horse
has spent much of his day worrying about which jump rail he knocked down. He is
only concerned with the matters at hand, that being the next jump or his next
flake of hay. Why is it that horse sense comes easy only to horses? When
you understand the importance of today, here and now, you are focused and ready
for progress. When thoughts meander back to “knocked rails” from previous
experiences you increase the chance of losing focus and repeating the same mistakes
from back at the last jump. Keep the words of the savvy horse trainer in
your mind has you pass over your jumps today...Don't look back! Here
is what others have said about not looking back… "Don’t
look back. Something might be gaining on you."
-Satchel Paige “Don't
look back, a new day is breakin'
It's been too long since I felt this way
I
don't mind where I get taken
The road is callin', today is the day”
-Boston
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