:
Where You’re Lookin' Is Where You’re Headed

Font size:

Albert Einstein said, “Your imagination is a preview to life’s coming attractions.”

Never is that truth from Albert more poignant than when you’re sitting on the back of a horse. I’ve heard some people say that horses aren’t very smart. I disagree. I swear they know your every thought. I know for certain that they can see the movie screen of my mind and they react spontaneously to what they see. We can stand and preach ‘til the sun goes down, “focus, focus, focus! What you see is what you get!” But, it just takes one good horse to teach you that “where you’re lookin' is where you’re headed!” It’s the honest truth. If you want your horse to take this bend and that bend, and go up that hill and down this gulley, all you have to do is look exactly where you want that horse to go. If you imagine that horse buckin’ and snortin’ and actin’ cantakerous, you can bet your last swig of beer that they’ll do just about what you imagine.

We have a vet who hates “yellow horses.” She declares that most vets feel the same. She says they’re crazy and act stupid. As you might guess our "yellow" palomino doesn’t much like this doc. That horse is as gentle as a kitten until this vet comes. Only then does he act goofy.

Years ago I was sitting in the highest possible rafter seating at the coliseum at the University of Georgia watching a concert with Ike and Tina Turner. I was completing my doctorate degree and working fulltime to pay my bills. The only way I could see Tina’s mighty moves was through a small pair of binoculars. However, they sang a song that defined much of my life. The lyrics go, “What you see is what you get. What you can’t see is better yet.” I’ve used these lyrics a thousand times to reinforce the power of focus.

Not long ago we were standing in the security line at the Tulsa International Airport. Ike Turner was in front of me. I tapped him on the shoulder, introduced myself, and told him my story of thirty plus years ago. He stopped me when I started to sing the lyrics and informed me that he had "changed the lyrics." They now go:

“What you see is what you get. What you FEEL is better yet.”

This is consistent with the research of The Heart Math Institute in California. If we can sustain a vision and a feeling for 16 seconds, we program our bodies to "step into the feeling." A few years ago I took a young 4 year-old colt out to our cattle ranch on the river. It was his first trip out and the first time he encountered cattle. It was also his first time to carry a butt pack with drinks in it. When I stepped into the saddle, he moved and I kicked the butt pack. He was already very excited about the cattle and now he thought he had a tiger on his tail. He bucked like a rodeo bronco, which didn’t take long to pitch me flying. He continued to buck all around me trying to get that butt pack off. Of course, I had to get back in the saddle, bumps, bruises and all. However, it was a defining moment. I had not taken the time to enter the present moment and feel us both being calm together. I continued a mount even though he had moved. The combination of my hurry and his worry produced a benchmark experience. To this day I take the time to “see where I’m headed on the trail.” I take the time to "feel" the result of a good day in the saddle. This is a lesson that has followed me into the boardroom and the stage. Like an ole’ boy once told me, “Turn the wheelbarrow the direction you’re goin’ before you fill it up!”