The theme of this last week has been flexibility. We have had snow along with 60 degree weather. There have been multiple nights up awaiting the arrival of brand new four-leggeds. It is time to embrace the only sometimes organized chaos of the next six months. Foaling season, breeding season, hay season and tourism season are all full of factors that are completely out of anyone's control. Success in this busy season is all about flexibility and knowing that not much is certain. It is about knowing when to change or abandon a plan and it is about seeing success even when things don't go to plan. None of it is the end of the world. Life and the farm will go on if a few wagons of hay get rained on or a horse gets injured the week before a show. Questions like "how can we prevent this next time?" and "How did this happen?" are far more productive than "Who's fault is this?"
We must all work to be mentally flexible enough to problem solve and innovate. These accommodating patterns of thinking are hard. I find mental flexibility to be especially hard when my routine is turned on its head. It takes constant awareness and self regulation to maintain flexibility. Regulation to be flexible. It sounds like a contradicting phrase, but I think that as people, we tend toward rigidity. Yet strength comes in flexibility. The bad stuff bounces off and we bend and mold to each situation.
I take from this week, a reminder to be flexible. My daily routine cannot always be the same. Horses will break fence and get sick at will. The weather might not be warmers just because it's April. I can't predict what will happen this next week, but I can focus on being prepared to adapt to whatever the situation.
We must all work to be mentally flexible enough to problem solve and innovate. These accommodating patterns of thinking are hard. I find mental flexibility to be especially hard when my routine is turned on its head. It takes constant awareness and self regulation to maintain flexibility. Regulation to be flexible. It sounds like a contradicting phrase, but I think that as people, we tend toward rigidity. Yet strength comes in flexibility. The bad stuff bounces off and we bend and mold to each situation.
I take from this week, a reminder to be flexible. My daily routine cannot always be the same. Horses will break fence and get sick at will. The weather might not be warmers just because it's April. I can't predict what will happen this next week, but I can focus on being prepared to adapt to whatever the situation.
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