Motivation, Frustration & A Beginner ‘s Mindset?

Motivation will ebb and flow. This is normal but we can boost our motivation levels when we understand a bit about ourselves and how we are motivated. Today I want to explore the impact of our attitude and beliefs on how energised we feel. Intrinsic motivation is a very powerful force when it comes to achieving our goals and even our to do lists! 

What is a Beginner’s Mindset? 

Think about learning something new and the steps we go through to achieve a good level of competence. That feeling where whilst you are still being challenged it’s fun. You accept the frustration (most of the time) when what you want to do is a little out of reach. When you need help you ask for it! You probably accept the need to learn, to work at it and whilst you are beginning to develop competence you appreciate the process. This is healthy and actually is a recipe for making the kind of progress that leads to success. So you might wander why somewhere along the way we might forget how to be a beginner. I had a reminder of this at the weekend. 

FEI Equestriad

I don’t play computer games. I read about the FEI ‘s play along family game and my current curiosity about how the metaverse might have value to add as a learning resource online had me downloading the App. Now it’s fairly easy to register and navigate choosing a horse to partner and befriend. No stable chores yet perhaps they come later? It  seems I was responsible for riding and paying for “shoes” only for the first round. It seems to take the form of a three day event. If you ever tried the design your own freestyle routine computer programme from around 2005 you will be amazed at how you can now steer your horse with ease. I failed miserably navigating my horse through the three movement dressage test.

Awkward! Now I did really well riding the line and adjusting tempo but I totally missed the memo about the test I was riding. No time to apologise to my horse who I swear was rolling his eyes. It was time to go cross country. No nerves here as I cantered strongly on my line. The fence got nearer. I let it come. How to jump though ? Turns out it’s a button tap. Off we went again and I started to enjoy myself. It’s been a while since I went cross country and I did laugh that it was to prove my best phase. Showjumping phase was a struggle but I later learned that my horse was running out of energy. I wondered how to help my horse? I was questioning how we could run into a fitness issue when I hadn’t galloped the whole xc and I was starting to feel I must be missing something. Lost I wanted a Coach! Turns out what the horse wanted was an in game care pack which seemed to be around £4.99. I didn’t want to commit to this entry fee when I was feeling out of my depth. So I looked into the resources section and found an apple. I exchanged some shoes which I think I had won with my 5th place and hoped that my horse would soon be able to have a snack.

What a curious world. I’m sure hours have gone into creating this game. I realised what was missing for me was the chance to connect with and care for my horses. The Stable Manager in me was desperate to ask questions. 
The conclusion I reached after minimal time engaging in the game was that it was healthy to be a beginner again and think about learning. I also recognised that whatever the prize incentives offered in the game, I definitely don’t want to live in a world where there is no connection to my horses. This corner of the metaverse is encouraging with its potential to explore FEI competitions from a fresh perspective. It does appear that it’s possible to play for free for a little while so have a go and let me know how you get on! 

FEI Equestriad