“Other peoples’ success is not your failure”  

 Can we say that that hit home? I had my best friend say that to me recently, as I once again was complaining to her that I need to “grow up” and get out of my head, blah blah blah. And that I need to follow my New Year’s resolution, or rather, nonresolution to just RELAX and enjoy what is happening in the moment. Not doing the, “well this could happen, or this already happened” type of bullshit talk. 

We are in a sport where if you don’t look perfect, if you don’t ride perfect, you are doomed. We are paying hundreds of dollars to be judged. We live in a society where we are constantly preached to about not judging people, but then we turn around and actually pay someone to judge us. Kind of messed up, eh? But also, so amazing at the same time.  

We are so quick to compare ourselves to other riders around us. We are so quick to compare our successes and failures that we forget how far we have come. 

I am HORRIBLE. And I mean HORRIBLE for doing that. And it has only gotten worse since my latest riding accident. I constantly feel like I should be so much better than I am. That I should be jumping 3ft by know. That I shouldn’t be scared to jump other horses. I always tell myself, ” You are 30. You should be flying around that course”. I 100% have to stop thinking that because I am an ”adult”, I should be something that I am not with horseback riding – because it doesn’t overly matter in this world.  

I am my own worst enemy. I see all these other riders at the barn who have started recently and they are already amazing. And I let it get to me. I let it bring me down. I let it block how much I HAVE improved. There is so much I have overcome that I forget it in the moment. I let judgmental Bethany in the picture. I have zero natural talent, so I look around at all these naturally talented riders and it’s like DANG, I want whatever you have and I want it now. 

It’s hard to not compare ourselves to those around us. But we have to remember that everyone has something they aren’t happy with, that everyone is working to improve something about themselves. 

We have to push ourselves constantly, and remind ourselves, we move at our own pace. We will have that moment when we shine. And when it happens, IT WILL BE AMAZING.  

The journey you are on has nothing to do with another person’s success. It has to do with you. It has to do with your own journey. 

Just remember how far you have come and how much you have overcome. 

 Just be you. 

 ❤ The Nervous Equestrian