39. Praise people for everyday accomplishments that come with everyday life – Check!

Today I found myself feeling like I was dragging my butt around wishing my life away... ; wish I didn’t have to get up, wish I didn’t have to go to work, wish this work day was over, wish I was in the tractor with my husband... Get it together already!!! Stop wishing your life away and start making goals and things to look forward too!

Right after Christmas I created my first bucket list. Just by reading this list I could find inspiration and motivation I never knew I had, and it put me in an amazing mood! Thinking of all the great things I set out to experience and enjoy! To look forward to and most importantly things that would help me get out of a rut on a day like today.

I have broke my list down into a 2012 goals, 5 & 10 year goals, & the life promises I always want to keep.

Today, looking at the list, I realized the goals I have already started to accomplish and the lifetime promise ones I have started to bring into my daily life. #15 I have started gathering my favorite recipes and also for the first time, started trying new ones out of the cook books I have collected over the past 2 years. The book my mom made for me is broke into pages because I use it so often, time to start adding pages to the pile! #25 I rode my horse to the feedlot and back bareback and don’t know if I’ve ever been sorer!  Felt good! But holy! The 3 km ride with probably about 1 km of loping really makes you use muscle you didn’t know you had! #28 I am getting closer to this goal. Recently have taken my first boudoir photographs and some engagement pictures! I figure at least I am getting asked to continue taking picture for people from others I have taken. #35 I am learning to just go with the flow, if something changes to adapt to the change. My husband has even noticed I am becoming a girl he doesn’t know what we’re doing next! I don’t think he likes it, haha. #37 My whole family has booked plane tickets to Wolfe Island for this summer! My husband Garnet and my sister-in-law Kim will finally get to see “Fancy Island” where my parents grew up! #40-42 these three follow fairly close to each other I think, and I feel no threat or jealously to people, no judgement either which makes me sing and make decisions that make me happy. #43 I have made this just a reaction to when I hear my fat little wiener dog running to the door to see Garnet and Kipty after a long days work!

The one I am most proud of is #39. This is such a lost thing in today’s world. Only if you win an award, win a buckle, money or a title do people think it’s time to say, “Congratulations you worked so hard for that!” Everything in between deserves those words too. From the very first attempt and getting bucked off, to dusting yourself off and trying again deserves the rewarding feeling of a job well done. Being a mom who has 2 kids for 2 weeks alone while dads off working. That deserves a huge hug, and words saying “you are an amazing mom.” I wish everyone would do this, I know when you win big a few close friends and family say congratulations, you did it! Which you might have thought the world would finally give you that pat on the back you’ve been waiting for, but other than the people that have been with you along the whole way,  no one sees the stepping stones you had to take to get there.

As an impromptu question at a High School Rodeo years ago I was asked, “if you could teach children one thing, what would it be?” a few people had answers like how to rope and ride, how to bake, how to drive a tractor. My answer was, “I would teach children to have confidence in themselves. To be brave and challenge themselves as I believe that is a true stepping stone to success.” Confidence and encouragement can be one of the best gifts a person can receive.

My life consists of a western lifestyle and I always think I need have 20 things on the go, but then I’m not focusing one being great at one thing when I’m busy being just ok at 10! Time to regroup and focus on my goals and motivation.

“Courage is being scared to death... but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne

My bucket list is not things I must do before I die but things I look too when I feel in a rut with life, things I that will challenge me to do and be better in life!

2012 Goals                         5 year goals                       10 years                              Lifetime promises

1.      Make blankets for each of my babies before they are born

2.      Sew all the rips in tears in my husband’s shirts and jeans

3.      Wear red lip stick more often

4.      Compete in a working cow-horse competition

5.      Raise kids who are kind and polite and know God

6.      Train a stock dog

7.      Knit a neck tube

8.      Buy a home

9.      Buy cattle and have a cow/calf operation

10.   Buy land with my name on the title

11.   Become a great roper

12.   Collect old western items (saddles, bridles)

13.   Get my class 3 (possibly class 1)

14.   Teach my niece & nephew how to ride a horse

15.   Become an exceptional cook and baker

16.   Doctor all our cattle on horse back

17.   Be brave enough to smile and say hi to strangers on the street

18.   Wear a bikini and feel confident about it

19.   Clean & fix up all our saddles and make sure they are safe

20.   Repay my parents for everything they do for me

21.   Love unconditionally and let small things go

22.   Halter brake a calf

23.   Go to New York and only wear heels, dresses and red lip stick the whole time

24.   Qualify for a finals in barrel racing with a horse I trained my self

25.   Ride bareback more often than I do with a saddle

26.   Train a ranch horse that I plan to have forever

27.   Live somewhere that I can see the mountains from my kitchen

28.   Take pictures for money and be recommend from someone else

29.   Take a train ride through the mountains

30.   Train my horses to listen and feel my body so I can ride with no saddle or bridle

31.   Cook a turkey with the help of my mom

32.   Be a 4-H leader

33.   Take time and visit people that impacted who I am today from my childhood years

34.   Forgive my grandpa and spend a day visiting him

35.   Be spontaneous

36.   Help my dad organize and sell everything out of his junk pile

37.   Take Garnet and his grandparents to Wolfe Island  in the summer

38.   Always have a real Christmas tree that we get from the bush

39.   Praise people for everyday accomplishments that come with everyday life

40.   Find inner peace

41.   Sing as loud as I can to my favourite song

42.   Not worry about disappointing someone if it makes me happy

43.   Meet my husband at the door every time he comes home

44.   Drive to my grandmas in BC with the windows down the whole way

45.   Experience the feeling of turning the 3^rd barrel and the crowd goes wild

46.   Go with Katie to Texas

47.   Become food efficient – not let anything go bad in the fridge

"Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams, Live the Life you have Always Imagined." -Henry David Thoreau

Chasing a Dream...

Last night I went and helped my sister-in-law start building her website for her Equine Therapy business. Just talking and expressing ideas and the end goals is so exciting. I keep pushing her and supporting her, making sure she stays encouraged to move forward and enjoy the experience. The appreciation for her schooling is not easy to get, many people do not know what to think of it or expect amazing differences in their horses. She has a long road ahead of her but I strongly am encouraging her to continue the push and stressing how important marketing and advertising your self is, which we both concluded is the hardest thing about the job. It’s easy if the cliental just shows up at the door step but it’s the in between things of getting those people at your door that is a hard part. For some reason, I have no problem selling her and her business. The horse industry is so big and versatile that as long as she puts herself out there and slowly grows, in 5 years she will be making a great living doing something she loves.

My husband and I are chasing our dream. The dream to build a ranch and own a cow/calf operation. I have attended many conferences and clinics to learn as much as I can and get a good understand of what we will be getting ourselves into. I think once we get going I can depend on the operation to support our family as if I was going to work every day making money to pay the bills, but instead I enjoy being a stay at home mom and spending time with my kids and making supper every night for my family. What a scary thought. Many days I think, is this even possible? How do ranchers make this work? A learning curve in life, the acceptance of debt but the joy of living our dream. Last night I asked my husband, can we even afford to have a kid in the next 5 years if we plan on buying everything to get us started in the cattle business, and of course his answer was of course. The cows will make us lots of money.... this is why women deal with the books and bills... men just hope for the best. I do believe him but know we will never “get rich”. He said, “Don’t you want to do what you love and have a great big ranch?” I said, “of course, people don’t realize it’s as much my dream as it is yours, but if we went to work Monday-Friday we’d be able to have new trucks, trailers, a new house and things that we can see a end day of debt, having cattle is a 24/7/365 a year job. Much more than a full time job with alot less pay”... and reality is money makes the world go round. But I know we will be taking the leap into uncertainly and a cattle roller coaster, but we are chasing our dreams. 

A goal to be successful and do something to love to get out of bed to do every day and create a life for our children to grow up with an appreciation for the ranch life and the people that put food on peoples tables around the world, and that is more then I can ask for.

Taking that step back to what you thought you were missing.

The other night I went to my first barrel racing jackpot in awhile with my husband’s team roping horse, I got home from work and couldn’t wait to catch my horse, hook up the trailer, and go see some old friends! In my head I pictured a great night like it use to be. As I hooked up my horse trailer, the sun hit the side just right and I could see the little shade of glue on the trailer where it use to say “Meghan Staley Alberta High School Rodeo Queen”. I took a second to stand there and think, wow. That use to be such a huge part of my life, so did rodeo and the socializing that came along with it. What happened to that “me” that use to live and breathe for the sport of rodeo? How did I let some other priority in my life take over? My first year of college my good horse got hit on the highway just outside of Olds, where I attended college. Since then I haven’t had the love for rodeo like I use too. It’s amazing how your horse can play such a huge part in how I enjoyed a rodeo, he was my team, my legs, my strength, and the reason I loved going.

Going to that barrel jackpot, I could not believe the lack of horsemanship, girl's who take themselves too seriously, and horses that are so nuts and scared to get hit or spurred they act out of control. Where did the true horsemanship lessons go when dealing with horses? Because your parents have too much money, they buy you a big expensive horse and have the expectation that you should be winning buckles and money, yet this horse just wants out of the arena. When a horse hits a barrel or rears and gets too excited, they get in trouble. Treated like everything is their fault! Drives me crazy. I went there thinking I would be frowned upon because I have the funny looking rope horse, no fancy saddle, and I ride my horse in a simple snaffle bit. Yet, was I the one that should be feeling stupid? My horse was one of the few who didn’t try to kill me going into the arena, listened when I ask him to stop and gave me his best in the arena because I supported him and accepted what he gave me. We had a bad run, but I know it was my fault and not his.

Some people just need a kick in the face to say get your head out of your ass and then you’ll be able to make a good run. Once you have yourself figured out and help your horse, good things will come. When parents yell at their kids to do this and that, it only creates am arguments and fights... what’s the difference if you’re always picking on your horse?!

I have moved forward in life but always thought I missed what use to be. Now I have the opportunity to ride a traditional lifestyle with cattle and slow work, our end goal is to ride our horses in hackamores so they feel our body  more than our hands pulling on their mouth. I have grown such an appreciation for people with good horsemanship.

Horsemanship is a life lesson, one of my favourite quotes is; “Sometimes the best thing for the inside of a man, is the outside of a horse.”

Good Bye 2011 – Hello 2012

Another blessed year has passed; I got engaged, got married, bought our first cattle together, more horses, and a beautiful niece. I look forward to the amazing things 2012 will hold. For the first time I created a “bucket list” of goals I look to accomplish in 2012, a list of things not that I need to complete before a die, but a list to encourage me and inspirer me to be better! That list is so simple so is such encouragement on shitty days.

The biggest adjustment in 2011 was the added family and trying to find the “right” balance between how much you should be telling them and things that go on you just can’t let bother you. For Christmas my husband bought me a sign that says, “Speak your mind but ride a fast horse.” Which is exactly who I am when it comes to things I have an opinion about, ha ha. A goal in 2011 is to let things go, or at least not let it get to me! Just try and do better and keep my husband happy and always aim for that goal of success in life. To ride, ranch and love with my husband and hopefully an addition to the family in the last part of the year, to enjoy and take in everything with the positives instead of the negatives. Focus, focus and enjoy good friends and cherish those family members you want to spend all your time with. Things your parents told you to always remember, I am feeling now and learning to just be happy! Enjoy life and learn new things all the time. My biggest challenge is to SUPPORT people and not just give the stuck up bitch attitude I am so good at! Things to work at for the new year!!!

Why Bother? Who Cares?

I write this as my very first "blog" ever. This is completely foreign to me and don't even know what I will keep posting about, but this is my challenge to myself. Step outside of my comfort zone, share my positive thoughts and feelings, dreams and passions, and a view from my world. I am choosing to write some things out to help me organize so many thoughts and teach myself not be shy of being my own person and not worrying what someone else is going to think!

I believe each person has their own world; no two are ever the same. From the people you see every day, to the ones you see twice a year, they all are a piece in your life. I have had my fair share of struggles and accomplishments, and as thoughts go round and round in my head I figure I might as well write them down because chances are I am not the only one thinking, why can't I do better, why can't I have what they have, why do I feel this way?! When honestly, I CAN do better if I put my mind to it, I CAN have anything I want if I make it a priority and a realistic goal. And I feel this way because I am human and want to please people and make a difference to someone in my life.

I grew up on a small farm near High River AB with my mom, dad and big brother.  In 2006 I was named the Alberta High School Rodeo Queen which was one of my personal challenges and today when I am asked about it, I shrug my shoulders and say "that was a long time ago, it doesn't matter anymore. Eventually people won't even remember." If I heard someone say that to me, my response would be, "It doesn't matter how old you are, it will always be part of you and will always be someone to be proud of, no one can take such a huge accomplishment away from you. Enjoy it." Does that sound like that same person to you? So strange how people manage to envy others and once they have reached a goal they don't take the time to say, "Wow - I did it!"

After spending years barrel racing, team roping, goat tying, breakaway roping, and pole bending (I had to try everything) I started what I like to call 'real life.' Life after high school and college when you come to a point and say - now what? Where do I go? What do I do? I felt like it was like trying to find myself all over again.

I am blessed to have great people in my life that inspire and encourage me, that get me thinking about all kinds of things. After moving away permanently 2 years ago, I realized how important my mom and dad are in my life. I lived in Olds for 3 years but in my head I never really told myself this is me moving away from home. I always just thought, 'I'm just going to school.' It’s only for 8 months then I move again and then back again. But after consciously making that decision to move away, I had never been more homesick. Luckily, I moved away from home for the love of my life. I met a boy at school, actually I met a girl who introduced me to her brother, haha.

Every day I literally count my blessings and am so grateful to have my brand new husband by my side as we start our life together.

When I get that empty, homesick feeling and think why bother? Who cares? Think about it, someone is always counting on you. I have done so much growing this year, I am finding my feet and getting stronger on them every day. I hope to dig my heels in, grow some roots and enjoy the ride. I know someone cares, no matter how far away you are.