Growing Some Hide
A mustang's hide is an apt illustration of advanced personal development. Through the centuries, wild horses have adapted to their challenging environments brilliantly. In the Western U.S., these sentient beings have thick skin that helps the horses to survive in the heat of summer and the cold of winter! Hide regulates temperature, retaining warmth in the bitter cold and providing cooling ventilation in the heat of summer. Yet horse hair on hide is so sensitive that a 1,000-pound mustang, extending more than five feet in length from its nose to the tail can feel a fly land on its rump. Then respond with a swish of the tail to swat it off. By the way, it doesn't spend the next 10 minutes complaining about the pesky flies. How do you recover, and how long does it take to recover, when sabotage occurs? It is less important to try preventing or even finding who’s responsible for the sabotage, and it’s much more important to focus on how you can respond (not react) to it. In other words, it is not about the original surprise, nor about how to react to it. Instead, it’s all about how you choose to respond to the original action that helps your recovery. Response – ability: The ability to choose a response that works for you rather than reacting at the undermining cause. Emotional hide increases your tolerance and flexibility when things don’t go your way. You can remain open to what wants to happen next. The sabotage does not cancel your day, and in fact, with a positive response, the sabotage can actually lead to something better! To grow some hide, consider:
(Story continued) In the pre-dawn light, we saw the dark figures of two older horses who escaped their “equine assisted living” area. They had been grazing along the road’s shoulder, and seemed perfectly content. Had we reactively ran toward them with adrenaline flowing they would have fled away down the road. Rather, we took some slow deep breaths and forced ourselves to walk. Calmly approaching the horses, we greeted them and gave them scratches. They walked along with us back into their pen, and we sighed in big relief that no injuries had occurred. Now, we could have been upset at one another or the horses, but that would not have helped us to adjust and go on with our day. However, feeling grateful for the safety of everyone decreased the adrenaline and restored some energy. Your day does not deserve to be canceled due to sabotage. Grow some hide and make it a great one! Want a mustang mentor? https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTYyMTQw
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