Allow Yourself Time to Grow

“Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent.”

I love this quote. It resonates strongly for me, for the people I teach and for my horses. In order to get better at something we have to allow ourselves the time to learn, to grow and be a beginner. No one starts out being great at anything – I’ve never met anyone who was naturally gifted that didn’t still have to work their tail off to be successful in their field. It’s okay to screw up. It’s okay to fail time and time again. It’s okay to feel uncoordinated and cumbersome. Each repetition helps teach our body what we want and puts us one step closer to success. In the last few months, I’ve started going to the gym and often times my first repetition of a new exercise is painfully awkward. It’s not graceful, it’s likely not correct – and you know what? That’s okay. I try so hard to remind myself in those moments that I’m just learning. My body has never done this before. And if I kindly allow myself the time to learn, I will get better. And usually by the third rep, it has indeed improved. Take the time it takes to get better.

- Jackie