Raithen's Journal

I read this this morning, and thought some of you might be interested, too. I think this applies equally well to aikido, for the record ;)-- and after my frustrations with aikido of late, the passage is timely.

I have come to believe that talent is not a thing, but a process. […] This suggests that our ability is determined not so much by what we have got, but by what we do with what we have got, and this is the province of the mind.

Riders very often blame their bodies for problems which really belong in the mind – or at least in the body/mind system. Only in our language can we separate the two; in reality there is no clear distinction – attitudes affect postures, and postures affect attitudes. All of us have the physiological equipment required for riding. What counts is how we use it, and efficient use of a less well designed body beats inefficient use of a perfectly shaped one. […] Suddenly I realized that I was not alone in my despair or my frustration: I now know that practically all riders share this inevitable part of learning, and I regard frustration very positively, because without it – in a situation where everything is already perfect – there is little motivation for new learning. Problems arise, however, when frustration involves so much discontent with oneself, and so much envy of others, that it blocks the learning process altogether: in their inextricable way, body and mind together produce the problem.

I now believe that talent is a certain way of approaching learning, so that you perceive what happens between you and the horse, discover what works and what does not, and choose to do the things which work. […] When learning is effective it develops your confidence, your perceptions, your speed and timing: it brings out the best in you.

- Mary Wanless. Ride With Your Mind: A Right Brain Approach to Riding. pp.1-2