Today is my Tip number 3 in boosting your self belief in you, with a view to aiding your horsemanship with your horse.

Are you aware of the relationship between your thoughts and how you behave, and what your body language and energy are really saying about you?

Now this is something that I see in a lot of horse owners that I meet, and I have a confession, from time to time, I am guilty of the same thing too.

We unintentionally make life much harder for ourselves through constant self criticism and self doubt, and very often we are not even aware that we are doing it!!  We suddenly find ourselves turning into the very person we are so desperate not to be!  Then we are on the hamster wheel of belittlement!  

We tell ourselves we can't, we are not good enough, its impossible, and very often we start behaving that way, and our horses - they know. 

How because they can read our energy, our feelings, our emotions, what is coming from our hearts.  Don't believe me - then try this little exercise for yourself and see how your thoughts influence your body language and self belief.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, make sure you are safe and comfortable.  Now then take a nice deep breath and lift your right arm so that it is out stretched in front of you.   Now then move your arm, still stretched out in a semi circle, and move your waist and upper body too to see how far behind you you can move your arm without straining or causing pain.  

Now spot how far you have gone, with your arm and remember that point.

Here comes Oh my bit.    Bring yourself and your arm so that you are facing forwards, drop your arm to your side and take some nice deep breaths.  Great.

Close your eyes, take a nice deep breathe in and tell yourself you can do better, tell yourself 3 times nice and slowly you can do better.

On the next in breath, lift your arm in front of you so that it is at a comfortable height as before and move your arm around to the side and behind, moving your upper body with it so that the motion is smooth, blow your breathe out and breath in again and see how far you can continue moving to without straining and hurting yourself, because you beileve you can do better!

Open your eyes.  Every person I have used this exercise on has reached quite a bit further than before and they are amazed at how easily and how flexible they could do so - all because they told themselves that they can do better.

Ok so now you know you can do better, and that your thoughts are influencing your beliefs.  So here is your exercise for this week.

In your notebook I want you to choose an area of your life that you want to focus on, to increase your self belief.  It can be work, social, relationships, or even your partnership with your horse.

Be absolutely clear what your current level of self belief is and write this down with today's date next to it.

Then write down the following heading "What this lack of self belief has cost me."  It is vital that you understand the damage and limitations that your low self belief has cost you so far.  Now keep this open for the next week and add to it as things occur to you.

Finally on the opposite page write down another heading "The difference it can make to my life if I doubled my self belief."  Now this is where your fun starts.  Allow yourself to be excited about the prospects of letting go some outdated thinking and shed your self imposed limitations and start discovering how you truly feel when you start to believe in yourself.

Until next time.  Warmest wishes, Chanti x