So someone asked me how do you build confidence when moving up the heights?

And well the truth is, whether it’s going up a level in anything you do or just trying something new: 

You’re probably not going to be the best at it. Why? Because this is something that you’re not used to or experienced at yet. It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be scary, maybe even frustrating and it’s very likely that you’re gonna make many mistakes. 

When I moved up to the 1.40m, the jumps seemed HUGE and I made many stuff ups. I was eliminated many times and I had to go back down the levels to rebuild mine and my horse’s confidence. I cried a lot, thought I was ruining my horse and felt ashamed about my mistakes. But I had faith that if I just kept going, things would get better… and they did. I’m now jumping good rounds in the 1.40m consistently and I even won a big title earlier this year! 

So I have two main lessons for you when it comes to going up a level in anything you do or just trying something new:

1. Sometimes failing a lot and making many mistakes is better than winning or succeeding because when you fail, you analyse things, try and figure out what went wrong and you usually land up testing different things and challenging yourself to see what works. If you’re winning, you’re far less likely to be as analytical and far less likely to be trying new things (because what you’re doing currently is working right? So why fix what isn’t broken? Why try new things?) and so the chances that you’re going to improve as much as someone who is failing is less likely. So if you’re someone who’s failing a lot now, remember that you’re in a greater position than you realise. Embrace the mistakes and learn from them, soon you’ll be right there, succeeding too.

2. If you’re willing to look at your goals as marathons instead of sprints, your chances of long term success are far greater. What I mean by this is: be willing to make mistakes over and over and show up again and again, knowing that you’re in this for the long road not just for short term success…and by doing this, you will be able to handle the failures and succeed far more than someone who is only fuelled by short term success.

Ultimately, when things get a bit messy and you’re making mistakes, the best thing you can do is just be open to learning and be curious. Using the example of show jumping: look at the people who are doing well at that level, how are they warming up? What is their pace like? Are there things that they are or aren’t doing that you think could really work for you?

Try and learn as much as you can and don’t be so hard on yourself if you’re making mistakes. You will get the hang of it and improve soon. Just give it time and things will start going your way. I promise 🙂