The Priorities of Champions

Coming out of a big competition is often challenging, easy if you win and sometimes difficult if you don’t. But I sincerely hope that all competitors come out of this weekend, and every weekend, with three things:

A fun experience:

Q or not, this weekend should be enjoyed. I’m not even running, and I love the environment alone. There are so many people at home this weekend, who tried their hardest to be here and would give anything to come and run regardless of Qs. This is a weekend to be remembered, one that can go down in the history books if you let it. We view this world, and our experiences the way we choose to…choose to make this a positive one.

Something they have learned:

Learning is the foundation for success, learning to learn from these experiences is what will propel us forward in the future. Success is a never ending challenge, those who can fail and try again are the ones most likely to reach it. For those who have reached their goal, it is a matter of learning what you did right and how to win graciously. Learn to lose, learn to win, and learn to win from losing.

Appreciation for their amazing dogs:

We own incredible creatures; they travel the country, the world with us to make OUR dreams come true. I am thankful for my girls every moment of every day. Q or not I can never be mad at them. This was a lesson that took time for me to learn, to appreciate them above everything else. I very much regret the years I spent without this mentality, looking back I feel as though I took them for granted. Learn from my mistake and don’t waste this precious time. We all know it can be over in a second, enjoy each and every moment you have with your dog.

These are the priorities of champions. Alone, champions of agility, of the nation, of the world cannot compare to the champions of competition. Being a good competitor is a title I admire over any other. This is what makes a true competitor, win or lose, they are my idols.

Train Your Mind to Think

Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.

Years ago I thought I knew a lot about agility; now I am fairly certain I know nothing for certain. Education is the continuous discovery of your own ignorance. I once wanted to learn everything about agility, but I now realize how impossible that is. But, luckily, I love the impossible. It is the elusive end of a goal I’ll never reach, a never-ending journey. It’s easiest to think we know everything, to ignore the critique of others to protect our own ego. We’ve all been guilty of this one time or another, I’m certain of it ;)

Yet, it is incredible how much more can be learned when we open our minds and accept that we cannot know everything. At that point, we are free to learn more than we ever have before. That is what I want out of my agility career, to learn more about all the things I never knew I never knew.

I also want to learn from everyone. It seems logical in the moment, that the best place to learn is from someone who presumably knows more than you. Yet, seminars and lessons don’t always resonate with us unless we are willing to learn from ourselves for ourselves. I once had a wise trainer tell me that in order to become a better handler, trainer, and student I had to learn to teach myself. It is teaching yourself to truly think, to understand the process of learning before attempting to learn. Because unless you understand how to recognize your own flaws, congratulate yourself on your own success, and create your own solutions, it will be difficult to learn anything from anyone. A benefit comes with that understanding, a willingness to learn from anyone. I am certain of two things; that I do not know everything about agility and that I can learn something from anyone.