I created this blog for an assignment for a MOOC I’ve enrolled in. The assignment is to “Reflect on a time when you performed really well – a time when you impressed yourself with your own performance. Whether it was at work or at home, a presentation that was well received, tiling your bathroom, organizing a charity event, or running a marathon, think about what you did to set yourself up for that successful performance. How did you prepare or train for it? What skills did you have at the start? Did you need to learn new skills to succeed? If so, what were they? What research did you complete that contributed to your high performance? Write about your preparations in your blog…”
I used to participate in a sport (showing horses) that I competed in on a national level. I had basically trained and prepared for this my whole life. Although I started riding at 5, I did not show in my first national horse show until I was well into my 30's. I was blessed to have been born with good balance and intuition when it came to horseback riding but needed to learn new skills, and hone the ones already in place, over the years in order to be successful. Some of these skills were: strategy, spatial awareness in relation to the judges, and other horses, when in show ring, visualization, and mental preparedness.
I worked diligently with a trainer that trained both my horse & I to be a team. Hours and hours of practice time were logged. I also researched, and worked on, the physiological aspect of 'winning' - using visualization and positive self-talk in an attempt to ensure my subconscious thoughts of failure would not interfere with the goal of winning.
