Why not me?

~Rachel Entrekin 

 

The trail didn’t care that I’d been retired for ten years. It didn’t care about age, expectations, or the quiet doubts I carried into that first 50-mile ride back. What it did care about was truth; what my body could do, what my horse could do, and what happens when you choose possibility over limitation. How we move through life has everything to do with what swirls around our brains. If we focus more on what we can do and less on what we fear we cannot do, we may surprise ourselves.

After ten years of retirement from competing in endurance riding (50-100 miles on a horse), my first ride back was a 50-miler, where I tied for 2nd place, and I was honored with a High Vet Score for my horse. The result was more than I imagined.

The guy I rode with for most of the race was half my age, an athlete, got off and ran up or down some of the steepest terrain, and was trying to lose me all day. LOL

At the finish, he complimented my ability to ride so fast over such technical terrain. I could hear, in the words not spoken by him, that he was surprised by my age. I didn’t mention to him that I have probably been competing since he was a child and riding before he was born.

We can build up or tear down each day we train, so the goal is always to do the best my horse can do, wherever that may land us. I wasn’t sure of my stamina or of my horse’s ability since it was our first ride together, yet I could feel she was effortlessly covering ground, and all I needed to do was stay out of her way.

This is my motto for life. Acknowledging the wins, small or large, is key. And in doing so, I learned one fundamental factor: we are not looking externally for what makes us happy, but instead learning to steer away from what doesn’t nourish us. Just as I ride my horse with the mindset of building her up, I balance it by not doing the things that tear her down.

Life is a continuous process of making decisions, and these often begin with comparisons. Although comparing A to B may help us discern which choice to make, comparing ourselves to others is a surefire path to dissatisfaction.

Celebrating what we can do begins by letting go of the impulse to wish we were the way we once were or the way someone else is, and replacing it with methods that deliver optimal results. This shift is subtle but powerful- less longing, more adapting.

This does not mean looking for an easy way out. The easy way out is to find excuses why something cannot be done, why it is hard, and all the reasons that prevent success. The harder but far more rewarding path is to choose curiosity over limitation. Curiosity opens doors that resistance keeps shut. Search for possibilities and solutions rather than challenging roadblocks. Reframing our thinking is imperative for a mindset adjustment.

Words create our worlds, so focusing on choosing the right ones is critical. The terms and thoughts we use to describe ourselves or situations can make a difficult situation manageable—I, for one, refrain from blaming anything on age. My body may be tired, but you know what? I am active. My body was tired and ached after intense exercise when I was 20, 30, and 40 years younger.

Our outlook on aging has everything to do with perspective. For example, looking again at the race, I cannot run the way I once ran, but I have found a way to ride as effortlessly as ever; now, I would be more of a hindrance to my horse if I became overly tired, so instead, I work on becoming as light and balanced as possible. When I combine my breath, what once required tremendous energy now requires far less.

I have found a way to ride that facilitates success. By altering my learned habits, I have found equally beneficial solutions. Adaptation becomes its own form of mastery.

Focusing on what we can do rather than what we lack is a strength that comes through experience. Experience is often the benefit of age, but it can certainly be had with youth. Obstacles are simply growth opportunities. As we age and our abilities change, we may not have the same resilience in a particular area but much more in others.

There is a reason many endurance sports attract an older demographic. We have the patience that the youth may not. We have the stamina built over the years, and although our muscles may not be as potent, our inner strength may be mightier than ever. Endurance becomes less about speed and more about efficiency.

We have a choice in how to perceive every circumstance. So the next time you focus on the lack of or the negative, take a deep breath and reassess how you can turn this into an advantage. A can-do attitude yields more results than an I can’t point of view, so concentrate on what you have and not on what is lacking; you may be astonished by what you can accomplish.

If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.

~ Mahatma Gandhi