I see blue sky, green grass, and yellow flowers. I can’t see red apples as my eyes perceive the color red as deep gray. I’ve been told that it’s because horses have a different eye structure from humans and can only see things in blues, yellows, and greens. My eyes don’t have the cones to produce the colors red, purple, or orange.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? I guarantee that you don’t see the same thing I do. You also don’t see the same thing your mother, your partner/spouse, or your dog sees.

Perception is a tricky thing. We can only relate to our own perception, so we naturally assume everyone sees things the way we do. But as we mature and become wiser, we recognize that this is so far from the truth! Everyone’s perceptions are colored by their previous experiences, their culture, their brain function, and their unique senses. We all see things differently.

The next time you’re in a conflict with a person, or even your horse, remember… how they view the situation is very different from how you see it. Just recognizing that will help you take a step back from the emotions at hand and give you a chance to respond in a different way.

Someone once said: we don’t see things as they are; we see them as WE are.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 74, by Jane Savoie →

Black and white. Yes and no. Up and down. Sickness and health. Positive and negative….

We live in a world of contrast. It’s the duality of Nature that makes up our physical world. Without that contrast, we wouldn’t be able to perceive. It’s in knowing dark that we can recognize light. It’s in being able to experience silence that we can hear noise. The comparisons go on and on.

As infants, people are trained to show a preference for one thing over another. Most well-adjusted (note that you have to be “adjusted”) children develop a preference for positive feedback over negative. For “yes” over “no”. For health over sickness. For “happy” over “sad.” Humans are trained from birth to compare and prefer.

What if nothing you experienced was actually “wrong” or “right,” but just an experience? How different would your world be if you didn’t judge what happened in your life, but, rather, just observed your physical and emotional perceptions of whatever showed up?

In many Spiritual philosophies, it’s the pain from living with the judgement of what occurs that is recognized as the most difficult part of being human. Release that judgement, and enlightenment is possible.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 73, by Jane Savoie →

I was watching my favorite barn cat try to catch a miller moth today. She was so determined to catch that flitty creature! I couldn’t help but chuckle inside when she’d leap from a hay bale and try to grab the thing, midair. She never did catch it.

Watching her try so hard made me think about all the things we want to do with our lives that we never actually achieve. I always wanted to swim in the ocean, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Some of my barn-friends’ people have or had a dream of riding in the Olympics. Some wanted to become famous writers. Some wish they’d struck it rich so they could have a whole herd of beautiful horses.

Sometimes our dreams don’t come true. It’s a fact. But if there is something you want to do that is really important to you, there is a good chance you can and will do it. It has to be important enough for you to let other things go. Life is just too short to do it all. And yes, sometimes life gets in the way and we don’t reach our goals. There is a point when we have to be satisfied with what we can do and not be upset by what could have been.

If there is something you wish you’d done with your life but the opportunities have passed you by, perhaps you can help someone else achieve a goal. Sponsor an Olympic hopeful. Be a mentor to a budding writer. Teach someone how you made it rich. By sharing the successful parts of yourself with others, you get to be part of something much bigger than yourself. It’s a type of immortality. You can have a positive effect on the world while you live a piece of your dream by helping someone else reach theirs.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 70, by Jane Savoie →

You may have noticed that everyone has an opinion.

You may also have noticed that others’ opinions may not be the same as yours.

I overheard Jane talking to a friend whose feelings were hurt by a conflict of opinions. Jane shared something a business associate had told her.

Understand that about 10% of the people in your life will love you no matter what you say or do. Another 10% are going to hate you, or at least not like you, no matter what you do. The other 80% are not going to care about you very much one way or another, and are going to be too focused on their own lives to worry about what you’re up to.

Do you worry about what people think of you? Maybe it’s time to realize that it’s just not that important what other people think. If you like yourself and follow your own heart, that’s really all that matters. Trying to please everyone is not only impossible, it will make you crazy. Let it go!

I’ve decided to quit worrying about whether that new mare at the barn likes me or not. She will or she won’t. I can only be my authentic self and give her the opportunity to decide.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 67, by Jane Savoie →

I blew it. I mean I really blew it. I was trying to show off to the cute new mare in the barn, and I ended up tripping over my own feet and landing with a splat in the mud. I was so embarrassed I thought I’d light up the sky a bright red. Good thing I’m covered in black hair or there’d have been a rosy glow all over the gentle hills of Vermont. I wanted to shrink my bulk down to mouse size and disappear in one of Indy’s rabbit’s holes.

Don’t you just hate it when you make a public mistake? It’s bad enough when you make a mistake that only you know about. When everyone else witnesses your shame, it makes it really hard to let it go.

So, what do you do?

First, as I always say, you have to honestly feel your feelings. Don’t hold back. Resisting emotions just give them more power. FEEL them. Hold on to them as long as you can. You’ll be surprised how fast they dissipate.

Then, you can do one of two things. The most powerful is finding the humor in the situation, and laughing about it. If you can make your faux pas into a funny story, it will take so much of the sting out of it! Not everyone can do this, however, so if the humor in the situation can’t be found, you just have to forgive yourself. Recognize that you did the best you could, and move on. Remember, you can’t change the past, but you can change how you hold it in your mind. Let it go…

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 66, by Jane Savoie →