Thank you for the great feedback on my stories! It’s been a couple years now, and your kind words motivate me to keep sharing my Motivational thoughts.

Have you ever really examined the word “motivation”? Motivate comes from the Latin word movere, or to move. “-ation” means loosely “to be so” or “cause.” So you could say it means the cause to move.

What makes you move? What makes you get up out of your chair and go out to ride your horse? What makes you work at being a better rider? What keeps you going when you’re not your best?

Figuring out what motivates you is the second step in reaching a goal. The first step is figure out what your goal is going to be. So think of a goal you’d like to achieve, and then ask yourself, why do I want to do this? What’s the payoff? Then, when you’re feeling tired or disenchanted, remember the motivation behind your goal. That’s the thing that’s going to motivate you to get off the couch and out to the barn.

My goal for today is to complete the perfect canter pirouette. It makes Jane so happy when I do it well! Hearing her happy voice makes me happy too. Jane’s pat on my neck and happy words in my ears are my motivation to do my best. Of course, the occasional carrot works too.

Love, Moshi

From Indy:

I’m Indy the Inspirer! There is a subtle difference between inspiring and motivating. Moshi says motivation is the reason you do something, and inspiration is the birth of the idea that doing something will change how you feel. It’s almost the same thing, but not quite.

I think of inspiring people as my way of stirring up your insides a little bit so you look at things a different way. And since I’m a dog, I want you to look at things the way I do, in the moment and with total acceptance and joy. Moshi is much more serious with his motivations, with specific goals in mind. I just want you to feel happy!

Feeling happy is a choice. All it takes is looking at the bright side. That’s it! If you have a sad story that keeps you sad, just change the story! Find the happy part of it, and tell just that part for a while. It’s really not hard to do, but it takes determination to not fall back into the habit of telling the sad parts. After all, we get lots of attention from our friends and family when we are sad. But I promise you, even the most loving friends and kindest family will get tired of the sad story if that’s all you tell. And worst of all, you will attract more sadness in your life.

What would it take to tell your negative, sad story in a different way? Can you find the inspiration to change it to a more positive story instead? Did anything good come from the incident you’re sad about? I’ll bet it’s there if you’re willing to look hard enough. Give it a try, and see what happens!

I’m full of energy and inspired to go for a run. I’m going to take my ball to Jane and see if I can inspire her to go outside for a bit and play in the sun. Would you like to join us? Grab your coat and let’s go!

Love, Indy

Jane Savoie
1174 Hill St ext.
Berlin, VT 05602
Jane’s Website
DressageMentor.com