“Horse people” are often empathetic. It is probably why we like to be around horses as we connect with things on a deeper level than talking alone. We also connect through actions. It’s why we thrive on being in a community.
Without a community, we are like an island. We’re isolated whilst trying to achieve our goals without support. If we surround ourselves with a community of like-minded people, we get a large bank of knowledge and experience to draw from. Each member of that community will have experienced something different. So they can then offer advice for things we are struggling with.
Even if you have all the skills and knowledge in the world it is still difficult to achieve goals without support. But if you have a community, you have a team of people you can reach out to.
This power of community is what helps us to prepare to excel. Humans have an innate instinct to be in communities. We’ve evolved to thrive in groups as historically we couldn’t survive alone. We needed that community. This is why we are often scared of putting ourselves out there, of making mistakes in public. Because previously, if we were forced out of the community we would struggle to survive. Remaining part of a community has become a genuine human instinct.
Nowadays it doesn’t matter if you are not liked by everyone. It won’t impact your likelihood of surviving if you get something wrong. The fear of getting things wrong is what we refer to as performance anxiety. But immersing yourself in a group of supportive people can make all the difference. You then have a group of people to go to when things go wrong. They can offer suggestions and are there to give you a boost if needed. This can make the idea of completing tasks less daunting.
Even when you are part of a community it is still important to find your own way. You will get more than one answer from your community. Which is fine because they are there to offer advice and support. You then have to decide which will suit you and your situation best. Also, if you give advice to someone in your community, do not feel offended if it isn’t taken on board. After all, that particular piece of advice may not work for them. This is what makes a community so powerful. Everyone has their own experiences that can be drawn from to create solutions. It is your job to create your own solutions from this. Do not let the overwhelm of having many different responses hold you back from making a decision.
By enabling you to feel more supported, your community will help you progress further. You may bond over similar fears. You can encourage each other, and let each other know you are capable of overcoming these fears. When something goes wrong your community will boost your confidence again. They will encourage you to continue. Your community is a bank of people who want you to do well and help you to believe in yourself.
This is how your community helps you grow.
Your community can also affect you in a negative way if you don’t have the right people in place. Do you have a community of people who are boosting you up or a community who talk behind your back? Who make snide comments and deliberately excludes you? As that isn’t the healthiest of environments to be in. It’s not always easy to leave that community. In these instances, you can remind yourself that this isn’t the community you are wanting to be part of. You can choose to distance yourself from what they are saying/doing. It is your job to decide what type of community you want to be part of. Then you have to find this community whether that be online or offline.
Remember, you are no longer restricted to being part of a community that is face to face.
Your community online can be as powerful as it is offline. If not more so because it can spread further. You no longer need to have met someone for them to be a key part of your support system. Just knowing that you have these people in your corner, even if you have never met them is powerful. You’ll no longer feel lonely. And sometimes, knowing that they would be there for you, even if you don’t need to ask for support advice, is enough.
If you are looking for a community of like-minded equestrians then this is for you. The Empowered Equestrians Community on Facebook. This group is run by me and is completely free. In this group, we share both our highs and lows. It is built on a genuine set of values where we all want each other to succeed. To join, click this link:
