Soaring Over Jumps With Glee

I was watching an 8-year-old girl do an amazing cross-country ride on her pony.

They were both having so much fun – a big smile on both of their faces. Joy in the way they moved together as they cleared each jump and galloped through the field.

The amount of confidence that young girl had was a delight to see. She was strong in the saddle, her hands were steady and her bright eyes were looking at where she was going.

Later I had the opportunity to ask her what made her so confident.

“I just pretend that I’m Laura Collett.”

(Laura Collett is an amazing rider out of the UK. Click on this to see her winning cross-country ride at Badminton in 2022.)

Pretending is something that an 8-year-old does very well. That little girl has seen Laura ride, speak and walk. In fact, I bet that girl’s Pretend Laura does everything even better than the real Laura Collett.

Who can you pretend to be when you need more confidence?

Let your 8-year-old out and pretend – really, I double-dare you to actually do this now – pretend to be that person.

What is your body posture like?

How do you breathe?

What are your beliefs (which are really just thoughts that we keep telling ourselves?)

When you pretend that way what changes?

This is a great tool that you can use anytime and anywhere and no one even knows that you’re doing anything - you’re just more confident.

Where will you feel more confident by pretending this week?