When Michelle* first came to Stand InBalance, at age 32, she had been working in sales for 5 years and wanted to transition into product development. She often had great ideas but would go blank and lose her center whenever she tried to develop her ideas and share them with others. When Michelle entered the arena, she was very stiff and unsure how to connect with the horse she chose. She became so constricted by trying to do what she thought was “right” that she was unable to trust her instincts, listen to her inner knowledge or follow through with her own ideas. The more she doubted herself, the more agitated and less cooperative the horse became. After taking a break & checking in with herself, Michelle realized that she was still inhibited by adolescent experiences of being shamed for her ideas. As she shared this realization, Michelle’s chosen horse walked up and stood next to her.
This was a turning point for Michelle, she realized that the horse reminded her of herself and that in order to connect not only to her horse but with her own confidence she needed to acknowledge her fears AND keep trying anyway!
Michelle took some time to allow her ideas to come forward without judging them, then followed through by trying them out, regardless of whether they were “right” or “wrong”. With this new mindset, it wasn’t long before she had the horse haltered and was able to walk him around the arena. Through partnering with the horse, it became easier for Michelle to see when her inner critic kicked in. Each time the horse became agitated, Michelle* realized that she had started getting critical of herself. This self-awareness helped Michelle reconnect with her center and she began to catch the “critic” and stop it from interfering. Michelle found that she was able to build upon the core confidence she developed in the arena by sharing her ideas with friends and co-workers. With practice, she became more bold about her ideas, quickly bounced back when something didn’t work out, and actively began to transition into the product development position she desired.
*all names and identifying information have been changed.
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