personal development

When I was writing down my goals for this year I was super excited to picture my goal kicking year ahead. I was focused on three areas of my life; training and competition, personal development and professional development.

Recently rereading my post “goals for the coming year” my heart sank a little, because I feel I haven’t achieved not one small part of my goals that I had set out to do. Unfortunately, its life, things come up. I broke my collarbone in May and was out of the saddle for a while, which led me to have a knock-on effect to be a little unmotivated with my personal and professional development goals. Once you feel down and out it takes a while to gain that momentum for the uphill climb.

Once you feel down and out it takes a while to gain that momentum for the uphill climb.

But you know what, after enjoying a glass of wine (or two, or three. But, hey who’s counting ?) I had a thought to myself. The year is not over, I still have time to tick a few of my goals off my list and start to shape my 2019 from here.

Coming back into the competition arena after 7 months. Better yet, 209 days ago or 60% of my 2018. (wow sounds a little depressing!) makes me feel a little nervous on the inside. Especially since we have only been back training since July, 66 days or 18.08% of my 2018!

I have re adjusted my goals that I enthusiastically wrote down at the start of the year. Still focusing on my three areas of my life. I might not be writing these down as enthusiastically as I once did at the start of the year, but I know I am not the only one out there who has fallen off the wagon. I can only start to shape my amazing 2019 from here.

Training and Competition

Pluck away at our counter canter and canter loops (in the novice 2.3)
Play around and get confident with some lateral movements
Sharpen our simple changes
Attend 3 competitions before the end of 2018. With good confident prelim and novice scores.

I’ve commenced the EA NCAS Coaching Course so long ago and have only completed the theory side of the first set of modules! I feel like I have a massive anchor holding me down, a weight on my mind that makes me feel as if I cannot progress. I need to shake this feeling, especially if I want to do what I love! In saying that I am aiming to complete one more section of my course before the end of the year. In hope one tick off the box on the course will lead onto another.

As for the exercise goals I had written down. Well, I haven’t progressed all that far with that! I might leave that as ‘ongoing’. Says the person who puts strawberries in her dessert to justify it to be ‘healthy’ ?

Professional Development

I honestly feel this is the side of my life I am starting to have under control. I absolutely love Dressage Dreamers. It’s hard to believe how an idea sitting down on my laptop watching tv has led me to how it is today. It’s my project, it will change and shape into something different over the coming years.

The Standardbred Showcase has been working super, I absolutely love reading everyone’s stories and sharing them! You can check out the stories here.

I’m sure I am not the only one who has had an unplanned year, would love to hear how you are going towards your goals ? comment or drop me a line!

As I sit down thinking and writing out my goals for this coming year, I find it hard to concentrate. A typical hot Australian summer day, looking out the window of my parents’ house at the paddocks while sitting in the air conditioning, a whopping 45 degree Celsius. This horrible heat wave makes it difficult to write down any inspiration, sitting down sweating, exhausted after the morning stable chores. But, fortunately as I start to cool off in the air conditioning watching Arnie in the paddock in the distance, I begin to picture our exciting venture for 2018.

I started thinking about the different aspects of my life and what I want to achieve. I broke it down to a few areas.

Training and competition:

Finishing 2017 off with a protocol test gave me the confidence to work on the areas of our tests that need improvement. I feel focused and clear cut with what I need to do to achieve our desired result. My overall aim is to qualify for the State Dressage Championships in Novice, I require scores over 65%, which I believe can be completely achievable. If I stick to my weekly and monthly schedule!

Back in November 2016 I attended the Intelligent Riding Retreat with Brett Parbery, it was an amazing experience. Not only did I meet 13 other like minded wonderful ladies, but I managed to have an idea on my own training system and my own road mapping towards my goals.

I absolutely love having dressage as my main discipline, it allows me to have achievable goals and create a road map to make that goal more visual. Which makes me think about my main training goals with Arnie over 2018, I would LOVE to have an Elementary start on him one day in the near future.

As our training progresses I have a few little goals in mind:

Master our counter canter, which we have complete confidence on the left rein! So, I feel this could be quite achievable if we put our mind to it.
Get confident moving the hind quarters, don’t be scared of some travers!
With our simple changes progressing nicely over time, I would just love to ‘sharpen’ them, have more jump into the canter from walk.

Personal Development:

Around April last year I signed up to commence the EA NCAS Coaching course, I successfully completed one unit out of many in the Introduction level.

Being a little side tracked during last year with other ventures, my aim this year is to complete my intro level and commence Level 1 Dressage. Huge step forward towards what I feel is a dream journey, but I think it will be completely worth it if I concentrate and keep hustling through each bit of the course.

Something that has always been on my new years resolution list for the past 5 or so years, is to get fit! But this time I want to stick to it, not make any excuses. This is why I want to set aside time each week where I think about my own rider fitness and concentrate on exercises to help. Rather then putting my fitness in the basket labelled ‘lose weight’, because I know myself too well, I will avoid getting around to making time for it.

Professional Development:

I love to write, I love to blog, I love to share my journey. I hope to encourage a positive environment for other equestrians. This year I really want to vamp up Dressage Dreamers and really start to shape it into something special.

It’s life, a few things can get into the way forcing other priorities further down the list, but my aim is to be more organised and have Dressage Dreamers at the top and become more consistent. More writing, more sharing, I really feel in this day and age we need to have a good support system. I feel that I am extremely fortunate to have the positive family and friends encouraging me with all my ambitions.