“Want” is an interesting thing.
Let’s start out with a dictionary (or rather….the internet)
want
It seems that “wants” come in a pretty big variety of shapes and sizes.
There’s a bit of a difference between…
I want a cheeseburger
and
I want a pony
Or
I want to ride
and
I want to event…………….
I’ve spoken with quite a number of people who have some kind of horse “want”, but when it comes down to it………… they don’t really mean it.
For example.
I take a group trail riding once a week. I often, VERY often meet people who say they “want to join us”. They would just LOVE to meet us on the trail. They ask to be invited. They tell me how much they “want” it.
So I invite them.
Repeatedly.
And MAYBE………. 1 in about 25 ever actually joins us. (Maybe they read my blog and think it’s safer not to………………….hhhmmm)
I hear things like,
I have friends in town. (So bring them.)
I’ve had a long week. (Even more reason to hit the trails.)
I need to grocery shop (Seriously? you can do that AFTER dark.)
I have a Doctor’s appointment tomorrow. (Isn’t that tomorrow? What do you have to do, study for it?)
I’ve learned from experience that people SAY they want something. And maybe on some, only-if-it-doesn’t-require-any-effort level, they do want it.
Maybe.
Back to my point.
The question I began with was “How bad do you want it?”
When you want something. And you just have to have it. The question is, “What are you willing to do (or possibly….willing NOT to do) to get it??”
I got my very first horse when I was 18. (That’s a long story for another day.)
.jpg)
But, I needed a horse trailer.
I WANTED a horse trailer.
I had extremely limited funds. (From a very young age I was cleaning stalls for my lessons. I had to earn them.)
So what did I do about my horse trailer want??
I built myself a horse trailer.
Do you see it??
Here it is again in case you missed it.
OK, OK, here’s a closer picture.
Can’t tell I made it myself, can you???
Good post! I hear a lot of I wants but not a lot of doing in the barn. So I can sympathize. I am also guilty to some point!
Impressive build and paint job! ๐
I'm guilty of "wants" myself, but I also realize I'm doing it. I figure if I really, really want it enough, I'll get serious again. For real. Until then, I'm having fun with my pony!
I'm reading Denny Emerson's "How Good Riders Get Good" and a lot of what he's said so far (just started reading) is completed echoed here – you have to WANT it. He talks a lot about choices and making the choice to be the rider you want to be. Completely makes sense and I also see what the previous commenters do: people wanting but not doing. I find myself being guilty of that, but have recently made it motto: no excuses. I have to work for it and make it happen.
Have to say that your trailer is the most amazing thing I've ever seen, lol. Can't believe you built that! I guess that's what you get when you want something enough… you do it yourself ๐
HAHAHAHAHA, you're my HERO!! That is the most epic thing I've ever seen! I adopted my first horse through my 4-H program (back when they were still allowed to do that) when I was 12 and I was already working off lessons and we had a few acres so he lived at home but I knew I wanted to try and show so I got a job… at the age of 12. True story, I wanted BAD, and obviously you understand what I mean. I was lucky enough to have an older lady neighbor who lived about a half mile down the road who ran an at home business and I would ride my bike to her house and work for an hour or two on weeknights and several hours on the weekends and that's how I paid my trailer loan off. Of course, no one believes a 12yo would really do that so my parents had to get the loan but I had to pay the $75/month every month for a year and a half. But hey, I wanted it bad enough, and went out and got it done, and I still have that trusty little blue trailer and I'm actually pretty sad I need to sell it now because I finally had to upgrade to a trailer that will actually fit my new 17hh OTTB whom I purchased because I BADLY want to make it to Prelim as well, and I really think he's got the potential to get there. It's all worth it ๐
Celeste, we are definitely kindred spirits! I started digging aluminumm cans out of dumpsters when I was 9, to pay for my horse habit. I also started cleaning stalls for the whopping rate of $1/hour in order to pay for my lessons. I spent 25 hours cleaning stalls for a 1 hour lesson. I wanted it. (Still do ๐
If we ever end up at the same event we definitely need to share a few beers and swap stories ๐
Thank you for posting this. I think this rings true in almost every aspect of life.
I WANT to do my first BN this year, and after reading your blog you've given me the confidence to do it!