Be Curious to Be Confident

In training horses, if we can encourage curiosity, we can teach our horse faster without causing fear. If a horse feels safe enough to be curious, we know that they trust us.

Breezy is an especially curious horse. He is always getting into something, and likes to investigate new objects by picking them up in his mouth. By taking an extra minute to let him sniff a new obstacle he is much more likely to calmly cross it than if I were to hurry and try to force him over it.

Curiosity is something we encourage in our horses. Why then do we suppress it in ourselves?

As a Mom, I have a theory.

Like horses, children are naturally curious. My kids regularly ask "Why?" and I try my best to encourage and answer their questions, since that is how children learn. Sometimes though, it is hard to be patient and explain for the hundredth time why it is necessary to wear pants when we are already late in the mornings!

I believe that over time our curiosity gets suppressed. We are told "because I said so," when we ask why. Eventually, we stop being curious. We become afraid to ask questions for fear of what others will think. We become afraid to ask for help.

Like the horse that was rushed through a new obstacle, we become anxious when we encounter the unknown, or when we feel pressured.

Today, channel your inner three year old. Ask why. Be curious. Be open to learning. Try new things.

Like the horse that is allowed to be curious, we can transform that curiosity into bravery. Both for the horse and ourselves!

As Tom Dorrance said "Never knock the curiosity out of a colt."

I believe this applies to ourselves as well.

Get out there. Make mistakes. Learn things. And never, ever, stop asking why.

Get Gritty,

Chevy
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