Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Mind
The Missing Piece to Winning at Barrel Racing Secrets the Pros Don’t Tell You
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
DOES YOUR MIND MATTER “We have found the enemy, and it is us.” -- Walt Kelly Why do we struggle so hard against ourselves? We want something so badly, and yet we are responsible, knowingly or unknowingly, for our own self-sabotage. We become our own worst enemy. How can we stop this vicious, self-defeating spiral? The answer lies in changing our self-image, but how can we do that? Do you see yourself as a winner or does that image stir a level of discomfort stemming from disbelief? Let's try this: you arrive at your small local barrel race with your best horse only to recognize the trailers of a couple of the very top competitors there. Do you begin to have a feeling of letdown? What is your knee-jerk thought process that takes over before you even unload? Does it go something like this, "Well I obviously won't win, but maybe I can still place." You have immediately taken winning out of the equation. What chance do you have of delivering a winning performance if winning isn’t even in your realm of possibilities from the start? Is there a way to change our subconscious thought process, a way to stay focused and mentally tough? How can we quiet our thoughts about the environment we find ourselves in and stay completely in touch with our personal goals? I won't lie and say it's easy because it’s not. It is, however, simple. Like any skill, controlling our conscious reaction is developed and made stronger by practice. Skills are not gifts we are born with, skills are specific steps of a process that we learn and practice until the task becomes easily doable at a subconscious level. First, let's break down and understand our terminology and what it means to our autopilot guidance system.
Select Format
Book Details
About the Book
Barrel racers, do you have a burning desire to be at the top of your game? Do you want success so bad you can taste it? Are you tired of wondering why it’s so hard to make it? Are you done with making excuses and ready to do what it takes? You’ve trained so hard, what’s left? In this book, find the secret to becoming a winning barrel racer. Top athletes and sports psychologists know that winning is as much mental as physical. Here is your road map to winning through mental toughness. Unleash the champion in you!
About the Author
Shelly was born into a horse legacy spanning generations. She grew up riding before she could walk. Her family bred and raised a small herd of horses. Thanks to the knowledge and skilled horsemanship of her father, she was always mounted on a great horse. She competed in the 4-H horse program throughout childhood as well as the National High School Rodeo Association. Shelly is a member of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is an active competitor in the Wilderness Circuit. She is a long-time horse breeder and trainer competing in futurities with her young horses as well as open jackpot barrel racing competitions. Her father, Lyman Watkins, was a great horseman and horse trainer with an intuitive understanding of horse behavior and what needed to be done to fix problems. He often successfully took on horses that other trainers had sent away, having advised their owners to send them for dog food because they were untrainable. Lyman miraculously turned them into reliable and useful mounts. Together with her older brother Dale, he developed and patented the Cloverleaf Bitless Bridle ®, and its training and use system which is laid out in the book Secrets That Tame the Wild Ones© authored by L. Dale Watkins. Although her father and brother have passed, their legacy lives on in Shelly’s skill and knowledge that was taught to her by these great horsemen. She uses the Cloverleaf Bitless Bridle® system in her training program. Another of her older brothers, Tom Watkins, still custom manufactures a limited number of the bridles. Shelly has overcome several serious and debilitating accidents. She was told on more than one occasion she would likely never ride again and would certainly never compete at a pro level again. Shelly’s mentally tough strategies brought her back from the depth of despair, and devastating injuries to once again compete as a professional. Shelly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science from the University of Utah, a Masters of Nursing Science degree from Grand Canyon University and is a certified Sports Hypnotist. She taught as an adjunct nursing professor at Mohave Community College and has spent more than 20 years caring for patients in the fields of geriatrics, hospice, and oncology. Her nursing work with cancer patients has given her great insight into the healing power of the mind. She has incorporated eastern healing techniques that utilize the powerful mind-body connection in her nursing and personal practices. She has studied and practiced intentional creation and manifestation for more than 25 years and has been a personal witness to miraculous events brought about by the power of belief Says Shelly, “Horses hold a profound healing power for me. I have taught and helped many students gain insights into themselves by looking at how their beliefs are manifested through their horses and how changing and strengthening those beliefs through the development of mental skills changes their horse’s response. I want to help people, especially women, to become strong. Our equine partners reflect us, so we know where to begin the work.” Her book Get out of Your Head and Into Your Mind is the first volume in ‘The Mentally Tough Barrel Racer’ series.