Life Outside Your Comfort Zone.

We've heard it said in our levels DVDs and we have all probably experienced it; Learning happens outside your comfort zone. Being the introvert that I am, this is something that I often struggle with, especially when it comes to playing with my horse around other people. I feel really lucky to have Emily at my barn who understands and supports me in my Parelli journey, and with this support I have made more progress at this barn than I have anywhere else. But as the number of borders at our barn has increased significantly in the past few weeks I find myself having flashbacks to last year. I feel uncomfortable being in the arena with other "non-natural" horse owners, I feel awkward knowing that they are watching me (whether it be out of interest or confusion), and after a while I find myself waiting until everyone is gone before I play with my horse.

Well, the first step is recognizing the behavior, and I know for the sake of continuing to make progress that I need to accept that things are going to feel awkward for a while and learn to focus on just me and my horse and no one else. After all, my horse is an introvert and I ask her to step out of her comfort zone all the time!- Put your nose on this tractor, walk into this cage on wheels, go sideways not forward or backward, etc. And while it might seem like the sky is falling at first, eventually she calms down and learns to accept it until it becomes almost second nature and she is better off because of it. Notice, I did not say she aways begins to enjoy it (although, sometimes she does!) because some things that you are truly afraid of you will never really enjoy but you will be able to get over them enough that you can function and make progress, which is the overall goal.

So, instead of making it something I dread, I plan to focus on the positives of stepping out of my comfort zone. Rather than viewing it as stepping into my "discomfort zone" I will view it as an opportunity to learn something new and to get a little bit more savvy so that I will be able to handle more complex situations such as dealing with other horses and riders in the arena. Pretty soon, my comfort zone will get bigger as I absorb new and awkward situations into my realm of normalcy. At the end of the day, its about what's best for my horse and our relationship, and for Rydel, I would do anything!