What Horses Can Teach You About Working at Home

What Horses Can Teach You About Working at Home.

Just because I’m the personality type that needs to get ready for the day BEFORE I have my coffee, does not mean that my DH has to be that way. But for some reason, I sometimes have trouble committing to my routine when I’m not alone in the house, so I find myself trying to nudge my spouse into my desired routine.

As a Back-To-Work-At-Home person, I need routine, a plan of action, and a good flow. It’s easier to get into a routine when no one else is around and you’re only responsible for yourself. But when there is more than one of you in the home, then what? If you’re a parent or spouse who has others relying on you, or you rely on them, it’s important to learn that they have their own rhythm and scheduling needs that might not fit with yours. And you’re going to have to learn to get past it to succeed in your work-at-home business.

Have you ever gone through training to ride a horse? I have and I learned some very interesting and important things about life and myself during that time. Right about now you’re probably wondering what horses have to do with getting into a routine or on a schedule while someone else is in the house. It is about being in rhythm or sync. If you’re a horse person you will know. If not, I hope this soon resonates with you.

In 2010 I got very into horses. I have loved them my entire life and minimally rode while in elementary school. I started looking at horses again when a friend of mine told me she needed someone to ride her other horse because she had two and one could not go without the other. I happily volunteered!

I loved her horse so much that my husband and I started taking lessons to see if we wanted to get our own. So off we went to a week-long horse riding camp.

What I learned from horses (and their trainers)

It is good to match personalities. The trainer chose a horse for me whose previous rider was a 9-year-old boy. He was only a little smaller than me. Adult males had abused the horse so he needed a gentle touch. This made me best suited for him and he took to me right away.

Matching our rhythm makes for a better ride. Shortly after choosing the horse, the trainer had me lean against him. I vibrate on a high frequency and by leaning against the horse and focusing on his breathing, my frequency lowered and his rose, which put us more in sync.

Listening with our entire being. I had to release everything in my head; preconceptions of what I thought the horse wanted or needed, outside distractions and things going on around me. By listening with my heart, mind, and spirit, I was able to climb on and somewhat merge my body with his.

Creating a calm environment. Horses need a calm environment. Therefore I had to be aware of our surroundings and keep myself in a calm state. If I felt myself getting nervous, I had to stop, breathe, and get back into the moment.

The calming effect on me was invaluable. For the first time in a long time I was able to fully release all worldly noises, feelings, and emotions. Spending time with horses was mostly peaceful and relaxing. It also helped me to have calm in my chaos. When I am with horses, they force me to live in the moment. (Horse people will get that.)

How does this pertain to working at home?

Do you know the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”? When you work at home and others live in the house, everyone has their own rhythm. You can talk to everyone about getting on the same schedule, but you can’t necessarily force them into your rhythm. However, you CAN lower or raise your personal frequency, depending on your channel, which in turn might bring others frequency closer to yours, making it easier to maneuver the day.

Meditating in the morning, spending time with yourself, and getting ready for the day, helps you get into a rhythm. That includes getting into a calm state. That does not mean you can’t get excited (happy) about something or frustrated. It just means you need to teach yourself to come back to center.

If you spend time with the kids or spouse after you get ready for the day and truly invest all of yourself into the moment, you might find that the rest of the day flows better. Everyone will feel that they had your full attention and not need as much of you during the day. After all, most people work from home to have more time for family and fun. In addition, after the rest of the family leaves or goes into another part of the house to do their own thing, you are all set to start work or take a child to school.

When you let go of control of your surroundings and “talk to yourself” about your plan for the day, you can slowly, one day at a time get into a rhythm that everyone will be comfortable with. And in time, after about three weeks of consistency, your days will flow better. The work you do from home will become a natural occurrence.

Just remember to allow yourself grace for the many times you have to start over and regroup. Have you ever started over or had to do a major regrouping? Help others by sharing your stories in the comments below.

©2015 Susie Glennan
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