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I've learned most lessons in life the hard way. Like my daddy before me, I'm a self-confessed, bona-fide graduate of the school of hard-knocks. The good news is, now that I'm in my early 60's, I've finally managed to learn a few things (albeit painfully at times). One of the lessons I've learned is that I'm too darn old to "fly by the seat of my pants" anymore. Besides, it's not near as much fun as it used to be. Something about getting bucked off and eating dirt has lost it's appeal. These days, instead of flying by the seat of my pants, I make sure I always have a strategic plan in place. For example, ask me where I want to go eat dinner tonight, and you won't hear me say, "Hmmm, I don't know." Why? I've already been thinking about it all day, and I know exactly where I want to go eat, and how to get there.
It's the same when it comes to riding. I never saddle up my horse without a plan of action. I used to think that was boring. I've been riding long enough now to know it is the road to success. Before I put my foot in the stirrup, I already know what my horse, Samson, and I will work on for the day. It can be something as fundamental as perfecting our lateral flexion, or "go forward" transitions, or as advanced as roll-backs on the fence, or side-passing around the circumference of our 200 foot arena with no pause. The point is - I have a strategic plan. I'm not simply along for the ride. But can I be flexible with my strategic plans? Absolutely! If my horse demonstrates that he needs more work in a certain area, then I go back to the basics before going further and fix the "holes". But the point is - I always have a strategic plan, and because I do - I'm always moving forward! Now, let's get down to it...
It's easy to miss the mark, or even abandon one's plans, especially if we don't have a specific strategy for "getting where we want to go" in life. The dictionary defines strategy as a plan of action designed to achieve an overall goal. The Bible puts it more succinctly. If we want to build something (how about a successful life?), we must first sit down and consider the cost. And how do we consider the cost? We determine our plans, and whether or not we are willing to do what it takes to achieve those plans. This is the point at which many people abandon their life's true calling - it's simply too costly for them. Too much trouble, too much sacrifice, too much planning. Others look for an easy route. They decide to be a passenger in their own life's journey, willingly checking their brains in at the door by deciding to fly by the seat of their pants and just see where they end up in life. Far too many people opt for that choice, erroneously calling it faith. That kind of twisted faith only leads to disappointment, unrealized dreams, and eventually mockery from others. The God-kind of faith never flies by the seat of it's pants and merely hopes for the best. The Bible says that Godly faith is a "sure-thing". It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11: 1). That means that with the right kind of faith, God's help, and good strategic planning, - everything that we endeavor to do will always be marked for success, and never failure.
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