What Our Daughter’s Horseback Riding Taught Me About Finances

“Keep your eyes focused on where you want him to go.”
Sounds simple enough, right? Our daughter’s riding instructor reminds her of this regularly, because the horse goes where her eyes go.

If I didn’t see this for myself I wouldn’t have believed it. Sure enough, as soon as our daughter looked over at me (her gaze saying “Look mom!! Look!” ), the horse slowed down and lacked direction. She may have been holding the reigns but her eyes were the real steering tools. Perhaps the horse sensed her need for attention and was stopping long enough for me to notice them.

Too often we can take our eyes off of the prize and get discouraged, lose direction, or question our goals and our choices. Shifting our gaze – literally or figuratively – takes us off track often without any benefit.

Sure there are times when pausing, questioning and re-evaluating our course is not only beneficial but necessary. I’m not talking about that, though.

There was another instance I observed when another riding student was trying to make the horse canter (run). But when the horse started to take off, the rider got a little startled and instinctively pulled back on the reins to steady herself, causing the horse to slow down. How often do we do the same thing when our financial situation starts to improve suddenly and we’re concerned about – gosh, anything – and pull back as a reaction?

If we are uncertain what it is we’re doing or where we’re going, why bother getting in the saddle? Too often I see people who do what I call “wander and squander” when it comes to money.

Search your soul for your life’s goals and once you find them, commit to them, believe in them, and then passionately pursue them.

Giddy-up!

Photo by ClipArt