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| Ricky (2006-2012; Colic) |
The weather really hasn’t been great the last few days. While I pray for rain as we are suffering a
horrendous drought, it does nothing for the fact that I’m trying to have this
horse and myself ready for the Reno Rodeo All-Girl by the end of June. I was really hoping today would be slightly
sunny so that I could head over to the cowboy church and rope a few this
afternoon. However, as I sit here in
Starbucks enjoying this lovely, $5 cup of coffee, I can see that the clouds are
steadily rolling in. I don’t mind riding
in the cold, but I’m pretty sure that nobody will be roping today.
My mind has been racing like crazy since I’ve been cooped
up. All I can think about is applying
the training that I have been doing on the ground and on the sled to live
cattle. I am so anxious to see where my
horse and I are at so that I can focus on what really needs work from here on
out. I have to keep telling myself that
I have time. God is on my side. But it can be really hard to stay positive
when you are sitting stagnant.
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| Smoky (2001-2008; Broken Leg) |
A couple of nights ago, I received a phone call about another
possible job opportunity. After hearing
minimal details, it not only sounds like a job that I could be extremely
successful at, but also one that would allow me to set my own schedule. It would be the kind of job where, not only
could I afford to rope a lot more, but I’d actually have the time. In my opinion, that is the definition of a
dream job!
Which brings me to today’s topic: dream jobs and the meaning
of life. They say if you are doing what
you love for a living, you never work a day in your life. I believe this. I have done a lot of things for work that I
love. I was a Brand Inspector for a
while and I couldn’t wait to get up in the mornings to go look at cattle. I was a sales rep and service technician for
a cattle supplement company for a long time and it was very rare that I didn’t
truly enjoy my job. I’ve ridden a lot of
horses and chased a lot of cows…it gets old after a while, but I still love
it. But the cold, hard truth is that I wasn’t
really MAKING A LIVING doing those things…I was just getting by. I have known in my heart of hearts for a long
time that there is something else that I am meant to be doing. There is something else that will fulfill me
in a way that I’ll know that I am exactly where I need to be.
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| Feeding Registered Black Angus Cattle, 2011 |
I see people that are very close
to me who are struggling. They want
something more for their lives but they don’t know how to get it. I just so happen to be a very controlling and
demanding person when it comes to my dreams.
I believe that being fearless and seizing opportunities are the keys to
success. I also believe that great
things never became of those who play it safe.
You have to take risks in life if you want to get what you desire and
deserve! I have had a lot of people
lately tell me that they admire my adventurous spirit. For the longest time I really didn’t understand
why they would say that to me. Now, when
I look at those around me, I see what they mean. People like to be comfortable. They like reliable. They would rather stay safe in their comfort
zone than take a risk. But tell me this:
how do you know if you are good at the game if you only watch from the sidelines? If you really want something, sometimes you
have to go out on a limb and take a risk.
There was a man who failed in business at age 21. He was defeated in a legislative race at age
22. He failed yet again at business at
age 24. He overcame the death of his fiancé
at age 26. He had a nervous breakdown at
age 27. He lost a congressional race at
age 34. He failed to become Vice
President at age 47. He lost a senatorial
race at age 49. And, at age 52, he was
elected President of the United States and became one of the most prominent
figures in our great nation. That man
was Abraham Lincoln. He refused to let
his failures define him and fought against significant odds to achieve
greatness! With all that being said,
what are you waiting for? If you want
something, you can’t sit around waiting for someone to hand it to you! You have to get your butt out there and make
it happen!
Last night, I had a long telephone conversation with a dear
friend. I was telling him about what I
am doing with this blog, as he has not had a chance to sit down and read it
yet. What started out as a simple
documentation of my journey to get to the Reno Rodeo All-Girl, has turned into almost
a motivational and inspirational quest to help other’s achieve their goals as
well. He then went on to tell me that he
believes that God has given him a gift (he is an excellent horse trainer as
well as an outstanding team roper). Over
the years, he has realized that he gets the greatest satisfaction not from
training a nice horse or winning a big roping, but motivating and teaching
others by sharing his gift with them. He
then went on to say, “Perhaps, that is the meaning of life.”
Wow! I never thought
of it that way! We are all given gifts
individually. Some of us are amazing
cooks. Some of us have the gift of
verbal and written communication. Some
of us are gifted with enormous creativity.
Some of us are great athletes. But maybe the meaning of life isn’t to hold on
to those gifts for our own selfish reasons, but to share those gifts and use
them to inspire and help others! Sure
sounds good to me! 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As
each of us has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards
of God’s varied grace.” So, what is your
gift? How do you tend to use it to serve
one another?
I close today with a quote from one of my favorite athletes,
Michael Jordan. “I have missed more than
9000 shots in my career. I have lost
almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have
been entrusted to take the winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over again in my
life. And that is why I succeed.” Be brave.
Be courageous. Don’t be afraid of
failure. Because, without failure, we
would not know success.
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