After attending the Paul Dufresne Training for Courage clinic put on by Evergreen Acres in March, I realized how rarely as adults do we put ourselves into situations where we’re being critiqued for an extended period of time. When you’re a kid, you expect people to tell you what, how and when to do stuff all the time. But as an adult it happens much less frequently, and even less so for two solid days in a row. And when you’re out of practice of receiving an onslaught of criticism (well-deserved or not) it can be a struggle to absorb the good intentions of the criticism. Or at least, this is what I observed in myself.

So there I was in Paul’s clinic with my very anxious mare, often trotted out as the “bad” example for the class, trying desperately not to burst into tears at the next admonition.  And not only did I survive without a complete meltdown (shouting at my husband after the clinic doesn’t count) but now, I feel re-energized with my newfound knowledge. It’s sort of like I came through a gruelling marathon and achieved both a physical and spiritual breakthrough… okay, okay, so maybe that’s a wee bit exaggerated. I guess what I’m trying to say is that maybe it’s good for us to put ourselves out there every now and then and be subjected to intense scrutiny.

Think of it like being a kid again, back in the day when you thought you knew everything. And then understand that 20 years from now, you’ll be looking at the you of today thinking “back then I thought I knew everything…”