Stand tall in the saddle:

Oh …it’s not a metaphor or some parable designed to make you feel good about something you naturally dislike or …think is stupid. If you’re not flexible in a rapidly changing world you’re setting yourself up for a lesson from life’s greatest teacher …pain.

Metaphorically speaking, standing tall in the saddle is nothing more than living towards achieving your declared ideas and ideals.

Think of your saddle as being attached to a machine rapidly moving across a world of ever changing terrain. You can adjust how fast you move across the ground you travel with skill, daring and vision. The path forward contains both obstacles of hidden peril and sections of unobstructed straight and smooth.

Vision allows you to look ahead. If you can’t see what’s ahead in a world of hidden peril’s you’d be best advised to slow down or have really good brakes and the skill to use them …or more importantly, to know when to use them (you may pass something exotic and rarely seen …like a desert tortoise and her baby, by traveling too fast).

Skill only comes with time in the saddle. It encompasses a “knowledge base” of what your building your skills around. Knowledge is not quick in coming.

Daring is intrinsic. You are or you are not daring. How many cribs did you escape from and or destroy as a baby? Consider yourself naturally daring if you can answer at least one.

To Achieve Success:

• Plan
• Execute
• Evaluate
• Adjust
• Repeat ...(the only constant is change, be ready for it)

What’d Cha Learn … stand tall in the saddle, keep your knees bent, be flexible.

Stand tall cowboy or wear a cup. Pain is a great teacher.

Commitment

A tall, blonde, well fit, passed middle aged woman flips a tractor tire across a gym floor. Her physical trainer is pleased. In the middle of her “reps” she notices a large black man across the gym. His trainer is asking him to do the same repetitions as she is using a different tractor tire.

The man is questioning his ability to follow his trainer’s instructions. Upon noticing this the woman, in mid tire flip, yells across the gym; “Hey, you gonna let this skinny little white bitch kick your ass?” The entire population of the gym responded with, “Ohhhhhhh”.

The skinny white bitch (my sister) knows about commitment. She knows commitment starts with yourself. It’s like anything else. Unless you know something for yourself there is no way you’d be able to share it with someone else. If the skinny white bitch wasn’t flipping the tire across the gym there is no way she could have yelled at the large whining black man.

The story above is the motivation that fueled my commitment to successfully walk out of the desert and back into civilization. I lost sight of the big picture (the Plan) by having my Focus diverted by a "But First".

After walking a few miles in the desert sun, climbing under wire fences, worrying loved ones then commandeering (okay, begging) a county vehicle for a ride back to the ranch, a skinny white bitch asked me …What’d Cha Learn?

Focus

Focus ...focus ...focus

What’d cha learn about “But First’s”? But Firsts are the bane of focus. Did cha learn that one small lack of attention to detail can kill you? The Catch 22 is; the gathering of focus is the only thing that may rescue you from an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health) situation. One that a lack of focus created.

Did cha just learn that ...an ability to focus is proportional to the danger factor surrounding the participants?

To prove the point, carry a glass of water across a room then set it down on a table. Return to the start point to pick up an equal size glass filled with a highly volatile explosive, say nitro glycerin. The same walk across the room will be completed with a much higher level of focus from the participant than the previous one carrying water.

“Imagine if you will” traveling miles in minutes across hostile terrain. You’re isolated from the harsh reality rapidly passing by technology and relative wind. If you do this ...one thing Cha should learn is ...what makes the technology protecting your ass ...work.

“Dude, the only problem I have with nuclear power is that everything man builds …breaks” -Layman Raw.

Up next …yeah, it broke …Commitment.

But First

Planning a project takes time. It is equivalent to qualifying for an event. If you can’t even plan a plan how can you ever hope to pull off an idea you’re unable to explain to yourself?

It’s been said that “The Devil is in the Details”. If that means you’ll walk through the streets of hell if you miss one small detail while preparing to do something stupid on something dangerous …yup, it’s a true statement. It happens by taking too big a bite off a plate filled with tasks needed to be completed. It is a complete lack of focus for the task at hand. Here’s what happened …

…But first, “But First’s”.

But firsts are nature’s way of letting us feel good about forgetting what the heck we were doing before the “But First”. It’s as if our paradigms won’t line up allowing us to see a clear path toward our plans completion. Our brain sees a project road block ahead then sends a “But First” message …oh, I forgot to water the plants, feed the dog, call a long lost friend …

Oh dear, this was going to be about commitment, focus and a little walk through the desert …yeah, but first I have to go ride.

More later

A plan

My doctor said, “…go out and do what you do to lower your numbers then come see me in six months”.

The first thing cha learn sitting in a cardiologist office is ...it’s expensive to be there. You’d be smart to take the advice you just paid for.

The second thing cha learn is ...getting your cardio rate up by playing video games is considered “unhealthy”. Apparently a morning diet of coffee and War Thunder is frowned upon by certain cardiologist. Mine for example.

Who does not love a plan coming together? Plans are important. They provide direction, motivation and hope. The first thing cha learn about plans is …they don’t start themselves.

Starting to plan a plan is not starting a plan, it’s planning. Planning takes very little effort. Effort is the “little bitch” of any plan that requires …commitment.

Next up ...Commitment, focus and a little walk through the desert.