Elevator....no thanks!

I stumbled across a quote this evening that meant a lot to me in both the literal and figurative sense and felt the need to write a post about it (I'm a quote person, I love literature and my daily life is surrounded by meaningful quotes, some people may find that cheesy but I'm okay with that!;).....


“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs… one step at a time.” 


Anyone who has spent much time around me knows that I am a person who never opts to take an elevator, when I have an option I will always go for the stairs, my explanation has always been a simple one, why would anyone who has the physical capability of taking the stairs want to take an elevator??  This is such a minor thing in day to day living that I never really thought about it until I saw that quote this evening and realized how that same principle applies to my whole take on life and my journey with horses in general.  I've always had a steadfast belief that there are two keys to success, the first and most important is an excellent work ethic, the second is a small amount of luck.  Day in and day out, people with work ethics have the ability to self motivate and carry on when things get tough, they have the determination to look for creative solutions when things don't work and the perseverance to not give up where others might.  While a strong work ethic won't necessarily get someone where they're going the fastest, I do believe it will provide them with longevity which is much more valuable in the long run.  Coming from a completely un-horsey family I have had to work my way up in the horse industry, and being a person who is continually striving for improvement I will continue to work my way up higher, if you're not moving forward then you're probably standing still!  I was always warned not to get into the horse industry as "it's a tough one", and that it is, however I can honestly say there is nothing else on this planet that I could ever have the same passion to work for, I've also been fortunate to have people in my life who have recognized my commitment level and have helped me in various ways along on my journey and that's where that little bit of luck in finding amazing friends and supporters sure helps, I hope that one day somewhere down the road I am in a position to pay that luck forward to someone else coming up in the sport.  At the end of the day I can honestly say that although the road is long and often uphill, I am very happy with how my journey has come about and look forward to seeing where it goes from here, I don't believe for one second that I would have the same resources and tools nor would I have the horse sense that I do had it been an easier road, I have learned so much from the horses, trainers and experiences that I have had in my life, sometimes it's not always a good lesson but even in the bad moments there is always something to be learned and put on file and the good days are the ones that keep me going, lessons in horses and lessons in life, amazing how they cross over!