Ready for something crazy-cool? Last month I attended a workshop on leadership and communication for entrepreneurs. What was CRAZY is that the teachers were horses. No fooling. Sure, there were two-footed facilitators, but I was going to learn from horses.
The frustrating thing about horses is they don’t understand English — or any spoken language for that matter. So, how can I learn about leadership and communication without speaking? You neigh-sayers won’t believe this, but I was able to get horses to walk, run and stop without saying a word, using gestures or touching them. COOL. And I was able to do this more than once — and with different horses. Yee haw!
How does this work? It may sound bananas, but I visualized what I wanted and that freakin’ horse responded. The trick is, I had to be in “the flow”. You may be thinking, what the hay is flow?
And so….COACH WENDY PRESENTS: The Lowdown on Flow.
Flow happens when:
* You are present and completely into what you are doing.
* You are perfectly challenged – the task is not too easy or too hard.
* Your intention is clear.
* You cue it up and let it go.
So what does that ACTUALLY look like? I settled into the moment by focusing on what I was thinking and feeling. I watched the horse. I slowed down my breathing. I imagined the horse “joining up” with me and then I released any expectation that he would actually do it. I was willing to experience any outcome.
This is key, people. If I am anxious, the horse will be anxious. My job is to stay peaceful and clear.
When the horse senses that I am clear about what I want to do, he becomes comfortable with me as the leader. Once this connection is established, the horse follows directions without me saying a word. AMAZING. Since he doesn’t understand English, the smarty-pants horse is focused on subtle, non-verbal cues. I could also share some facts about conscious versus subconscious perception, but who really cares? Boeing 747s fly through the air all day long and that makes no sense.
We don’t have to understand something for it to work.
Are there places in your life where you are not getting the results you desire? You may want to consider whether or not your intentions are clear. Do you feel anxious about things going a certain way? Imagine letting go of the need to control what is happening and see if you feel calmer. I guarantee that your perspective will change when you decide to loosen up on the reigns.
Start using some horse sense and you can become a crazy-cool flow rider. If you need help, I’ll be standing by – with boots on. 
