Being Wrong can be So Right

You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.  

~Wm. Blake  (1757-1827)

Written over 200 years ago, this simple idea remains true.  If you're not familiar with William Blake, he was a poet, an artist, published amazing illustrated poems (his work is to the right) and he was generally considered during his life to be a madman for his idiosyncratic views.

What I love about this quote is Blake tells us that doing "more than enough," i.e. Doing Too Much, is the direct path to discovery of "Just Enough."  Taking the risk to be wrong by doing too much is the way to discover what's right.

How often do we do Too Little with our horsemanship and remain ineffective because we are afraid of briefly being wrong?  Take a risk today - the risk of Being Wrong - and notice what your horse tells you, and HOW he tells you, when you've done Too Little, Too Much or Just Enough.

Find that precise point with your horse where, like Pat Parelli says, you are "as gentle as you CAN be, but as firm as necessary," by testing how gentle and how firm is "More Than Enough."

Comments

[Beth Moore]

I'm struggling with the "being as firm as neccesary" part. Thanks for a quick attitude adjustment.

RESPONSE FROM BLOG: If you can think of "being firm as necessary" as doing the right thing for your horse, it might help you. Remembering that a horse with bad manners becomes a "problem" and "problem" horses eventually become no fun. And horses that are no fun eventually are left alone, sold or auctioned off... You're saving your horses lives by instilling discipline in them and you're making yourself a better person by knowing how to set boundaries and hold to them.

[Carla Gade]

Excellent insight!

RESPONSE FROM BLOG: Thank you! Clearly I've managed to be wrong enough to learn something from it.

[Mackenzie]

Cool post, I've been trying to internalize this idea for myself for quite some time. :D My horse and I are both RBIs, so fear of being wrong kind of defines both our lives!

[Kerrin Koetsier]

Nice post! I'm referring my facebook friends to this post, and might even include it in one of my blog posts :) (www.kerrinkhorses.blogspot.com)

Kerrin Koetsier
Parelli Central

RESPONSE FROM H&D BLOG: Thanks, Kerrin, and feel free to include a permalink of this post.