I knew my farm tractor wasn’t running quite right. It started up in the morning with a groan and chugged ahead coughing and sputtering. But, eventually it warmed up to the projects of the day like dragging the arena, hauling manure or mowing. It grumbled when the loads were heavy and protested whenever I pulled on the throttle for more power.

A few days ago, it refused to start. It didn’t even want to get out of bed. Suspecting a spark or fuel problem I took a look at the spark plug wires buried under the swing-out battery tray.

My diagnosis was swift and elementary. The spark plug wire connectors on two of the three spark plugs were loose. Barely connected, it was a wonder the spark plugs would even fire to allow the motor to run.

After simple repair, the power of running on all (three) cylinders was great relief for me and for the tractor.

I’d bet that you have probably had the same symptoms in your life working in the horse business: tough to get out of bed, sputtering, cranky and under stress to drag through the day.

It’s not hard to get in the cycle of:

1. Too much working taking
2. too many hours resulting in
3. too little sleep

It’s the 3 toos syndrome.

Just like my tired farm tractor, you aren’t hitting on all cylinders.

So, how do you fix yourself when you don’t have a full spark?

1. Learn to say NO to things you don’t have to do. There is no end to the requests people will make for your time.
2. Ask for help. Delegate when 80% of the job can be done by someone else. Seek out volunteers or hire the job done.
3. Get some rest. Depriving yourself of sleep only makes your job tougher and those around you irritable.

There is no denying that you can continue to get by with less sleep and working long hours. But only until overwhelm, fatigue or severe health problems force you to make a change.

The cost of repairing an overworked lifestyle is just like that famous TV mechanic who used to say, “You can pay me now or. . . you can pay me later.”

"Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another. " -- Anatole France

"Sometimes the cure for restlessness is rest." -- Colleen Wainwright

"To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment." -- Jane Austen

I did a speaking presentation last night to a group of horsemen at Kelly Crowley's Serendipity Farm about marketing horses and the horse business. I was followed by another speaker, Dr. Peter Karnezos of The Old Mill-Troy, Inc. Peter’s talk on promoting “healthy guts” in horses was laced with PowerPoint slides of chemical formulas of feed.

I began to sweat profusely as I flashed back to organic chemistry in college. Chem- mystery is the way my classmates and I spelled the subject

Surprisingly, the carbons, hydrogens and oxygens made sense and I even recognized a carboxyl group.

But, don’t worry, I’ll leave the explanations of feed, horse digestion and happy gut health to experts like Karnezos and Jim Rupracht of J&L Equine who put the meeting together.

Helping professional horsemen make more money is a lot more fun and the formulas are easier to understand.

I work with Professional Horsemen who are struggling with the business half of the horse business. Just like a top performing horse has a strong foundation, so does a top performing horse business.

If you've had enough with disappointment in your horse business, call or e-mail and we can talk about your business and how I may be able to help you.

If you know other horsemen who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them! I am on a quest to tell 1000 people what I do and I need your help.

Life is short,

Ride hard.

Doug

Need a speaker about the horse business for your horse related organization? Talk to me about talking. Keynotes and workshops available. (716) 434-5371