The other day I was listening to ESPN radio and they were talking about high profile athletes and the effect they have on their teams. As the year progresses some teams seem to gel while others seem to disintegrate. This appears to directly relate to the attitude of the stars of the teams. If the star, or stars, are unselfish and have a good attitude, their team performed much better than those with stars who are self-centered with bad attitudes.
Attitude is a major factor in anything you do. Attitude tops talent any day of the week when it comes to performing in sports.
It’s been a long time, but I can recall being in the practice pen and being mad about something. Then every little thing that goes wrong seems like a bigger deal than it really is. It’s easy to get upset at your horse, or because your calf kicks, or when the gate doesn’t open when you nod.
The practice pen is about training. Not only about roping, position, timing and all the physical things, but you’re also training how to mentally handle what you’re doing. I promise if you rodeo for a living you will come up against one million obstacles. Gatemen, security, judges, traffic, break downs, the list goes on and on. So if you are having a hard time with your attitude in the controlled environment of your practice pen, then you are in big trouble.
If you anger easily, you’re probably going to have a bad attitude. This will affect every aspect of your life and you need to figure out why this happens and get a handle on it. I’m not saying you can’t have a professional career if you ignore it, but you will be the most miserable person there is. If you have a bad attitude, I have some bad news for you. You will be miserable, no matter what you do.
Parents, if your kids have poor attitudes in the roping pen, find some chores for them. Chances are they are taking it for granted and not appreciating what they have. Roping has always been a blessing and anytime I started looking at it like it was a job or doing it out of duty, I reminded myself I was the luckiest person in the world for getting to rope. There have been several times in my life where roping was taken away from me due to my health. Thinking I might never get to rope again made me very appreciative.
Remember, you are not limited by your level of talent. Attitude will always outperform talent. If you’re lacking a good attitude, take a few minutes and take stock of what you have to be grateful for. Counting your blessings is always a great exercise. Done often enough, you’ll be surprised how your attitude will change.
Till next time, God Bless, and I’ll see you down the line.
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