To Change Your Life You Must Do This….

 

Last week, I did 2 things that were uncomfortable.

First, I went to a fitness center I’d never been, Orange Theory, and worked out with 20 strangers for one hour. I felt uncomfortable not knowing the workout routine, or how to use the machines. The instructor walked me though the gym and described the exercises. I nervously looked around trying to figure out if I belonged there, and failed to hear her instruction for how to get on the rowing machine.

As I sat down on the rowing machine, the seat slipped out from under me and I fell on my rear end. Blushing with embarrassment, I got up off the floor, smiled sheepishly, and finished the workout.  It wasn’t perfect but I was proud of myself for sticking it out.

Second on the uncomfortable list, I filmed a Facebook Live Video sharing my story about how horses saved my life from bulimia and depression. I’ve shared my story in retreats and small groups, but never on live video. 

I was uncomfortable not knowing what people might write in the comments, or how the video would turn out.

Halfway through filming, an incoming call came though the iPhone I was recording on, and the live screen became shaky. For the next 5 minutes, it looked like I was talking 2 times faster than I was. I felt uncomfortable watching my face shake on the screen, and not knowing how to fix it. I was disappointed that video didn’t turn out great but proud of myself for taking the risk to put my story out there.

I did these two things to push myself out of my comfort zone because:

A.) I want to be fit and have a healthy, strong body plus meet some new people.

B.) I want to share my story about Beyond the Arena to a larger audience to spread the message of the healing power of horses.

Later in the week, I did another Orange Theory Class and Facebook Live Video. I still felt uncomfortable but not as much as the first time. 



This time at Orange Theory, I was more confident and knew NOT to sit on the rowing machine seat too fast. I also recognized a few of the people who were there during my first class. No longer strangers, they smiled and said “Welcome back!” which made me feel good.

During the second Facebook Live video, I clicked “Do Not Disturb,” on my iPhone so incoming calls wouldn’t disrupt the filming. I was still uncomfortable sharing my story on live video, but it wasn’t as scary as the first time. I felt more confident and gave myself permission to share more – I spoke 10 minutes longer than the first time.

Point is, if you want to change anything in your life, you have do do things differently — and that feels uncomfortable.

Most of us don’t want to fail, not get it right, feel awkward, feel vulnerable, feel like a beginner, and not know the outcome. 

That’s understandable AND not being uncomfortable holds you back from the life you want. 

This week, I challenge you to do one thing that is uncomfortable and out of your comfort zone. 

Here are some ideas: get up on the other side of the bed, drive a different route to work, say hi to someone at work you normally don’t, try a new recipe, go to a workout class, call someone instead of text.

The first time you do it, you will feel uncomfortable. GOOD! That means you’re stretching and growing into the person you’re meant to be.

The second time you do it, you might still feel uncomfortable AND you’ll feel a bit more confident, I guarantee it.

“The hardest thing to do is leaving your comfort zone. But you have to let go of the life you’re familiar with and take the risk to live the life you dream about.” T. Arigo

Get comfortable being uncomfortable….it’s inevitable for growth, change, and becoming the person you’re meant to be.

The rowing machine beginner,

Devon

Cowgirl Magazine Article

COWGIRL LIFE: Cowgirl Rising

When a woman’s attempt to live the cowgirl dream is derailed by a series of personal tragedies, she explores beyond the arena in hopes of getting back in the saddle.

By Deborah Donohue

Photography by Lori Faith

The sun was setting in a pool of pink, crimson and gold behind the desert foothills of the Silver Bell Mountains. Green Saguaro and lilac-washed Prickly Pear cactus dotted the landscape as my driver crested the last hill, heading down into the land of the White Stallion Ranch.

I was supposed to have arrived hours earlier, but a mishap of cancelled and delayed flights had made getting to Arizona a pilgrimage in itself.

Author Deborah Donohue has the floor during a coaching session.

I was in Tucson to attend Devon Combs’ Unbridled Retreat, a long weekend of personal coaching work with horses, along with a generous dose of pure dude ranch fun. Combs’ workshops utilize the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method as well as more traditional Life Coaching. She describes it as “healing and awakening through horses. I work with people on a spiritual path who are searching for healing, to help them get unstuck.” Clients and retreat participants are “assisted in completing unfinished business from the past,” and are “encouraged to take definitive steps…towards creating a positive future.”

Initially, another member of the COWGIRL team was slated to attend. When it turned out she would be unable to make the trip, it was offered to me. I looked at Devon’s Beyond The Arena website and was intrigued by her description of the Unbridled workshops. I ignored the twinge of uncertainty in my gut and agreed to go. I didn’t know at the time that the universe had just arranged an invitation that would challenge me to the marrow of my 63-year-old cowgirl bones.

Upon arriving, Devon herself met me at the entryway of the historic Southwestern enclave. After a warm hug, she assisted me with my registration and escorted me to where the rest of the weekend’s participants were gathered, a group of women who had come from all over the country. Women like me, who had perhaps come to shed a skin or grow a new one. They were, each and every one, approachable, open and welcoming.

After introductions, cocktails, and a classic ranch dinner (complete with sexy singing cowboy) we headed to our casitas. The night was deeply dark, still, and free of distractions, allowing the subtle sounds of the desert to prevail: the whinnies of the ranch horses, a great horned owl calling to its mate, the beautiful melody of a night bird I could not place but would not forget. For the first time in many nights, I slept like a baby. A good thing, too. The horses would be waiting for us, bright and early.

Compassion and support from the group are an important part of the retreat. 

There’s something I should mention about that twinge in my gut. A few years ago I somersaulted off the front of a big, gentle horse during a riding lesson in the Santa Ynez Valley, not far from my home in Santa Barbara. I was transitioning from a canter to a trot and lost my seat. I regained it briefly, then, doing the antithesis of what I’d been taught, lost it again, for good this time. I sailed through the air in what felt like an interminable moment, before raising a cloud of arena dust as I landed on my right side, smacking my head hard against the ground. The horse, a well-trained fella unused to folks flying off his back was more surprised than anyone. Covered in dirt, I stood up, took a few shaky breaths and got right back on. I went through the very same maneuver I had attempted before the fall, executing the change in gaits without a hitch. All good, right? Wrong.

During the next few days I had some strange flashes of light when turning my head. I wasn’t experiencing headaches or other signs of injury, but to be on the safe side I went to my doctor. He reassured me all was well and that the light flashes would subside. So I returned for my lesson the following week. The horse I had been riding periodically went back to its owners, so I was given another horse to groom, saddle and ride. The new horse, though smaller, seemed to have a defiant personality, or perhaps simply sensed my nervousness and reflected my uneasiness back to me. She and I were clearly uncertain of the other.

As I sat on her back holding the reins I felt fearful and insecure. My body began to tremble, tears burning behind my eyes. My confidence had crashed with the fall, despite its innocuous nature. I hadn’t been physically hurt, yet something had seismically shifted inside of me. The horse incident had been the culmination of a cascade of traumatic events that included my mother’s death, a friend’s massive stroke, my mentor’s slow decline in the throes of Alzheimer’s, and my beloved dog dying. Somehow, falling off that horse had shattered my fragile sense of well being into a sharp point of particular and personal vulnerability.

From that day on, I no longer felt safe in the world. Fear became an insidious and too frequent visitor, and the parameters of my life began to quietly narrow. I still dreamed of riding, but there were good reasons not to…a sprained ankle here, bursitis in a hip there. My heart began to feel as though it was enveloped in a dark cloud of existential fear, encasing its joy and freedom, its ability–or perhaps willingness–to live out its dreams and adventuresome nature. I didn’t ride again.

Trail riding through the Sonoran Desert at the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. 

It was COWGIRL’s Editor-In-Chief that encouraged me to go on the Unbridled retreat. She had given me the option of participating as much or as little as I chose. I could simply observe and write about others’ experiences if that was my preference.

I took the assignment, but as the trip grew closer so did my trepidation. I knew my bluff would be called. I imagined jumping cactus flinging their pods of needles my way, rattlesnakes under every bush, scorpions in my boots, and mountain lions who could effortlessly take out a petite woman for an evening hor d’oeuvre. Not to mention the horse issue.

An Unbridled Retreat participant works a horse in the round pen.

I tried to bow out, suggesting someone else take my place. No such luck. Perhaps, she suggested, it was a synchronistic opportunity. And so I looked at my options. I could say yes to fear or yes to getting my life back. I felt frustration—and the possibility of real regret if I could not muster some courage. I knew staying home would not help me. And I wanted my former, fearless self back, the one who knew she could handle whatever the moment presented. I surrendered. I gave in. My desire to heal overrode my ego, who continued to warn of the embarrassment and shame of having her insecurities paraded around a round pen. In the end, I committed to go as a participant, as myself, the most inexperienced, wannabe horsewoman on the Cowgirl magazine team.

I awoke to the early morning desert, the air crisp and clear. Outside my casita, cottontail bunnies darted among the cactus. After breakfast, we gathered with Devon and began our work. The first exercise had us seated on chairs arranged in a circle adjacent to the round pen. We took turns pulling cards from a gorgeously illustrated horse-themed deck designed by Melissa Pearce. Pearce developed the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method. (Devon Combs is a Certified Equine Gestalt Coach, which entails graduating from a two-year program similar to a Master’s program.)

I selected a card without looking—a beautiful sorrel horse. On the back was the word Energy, with a paragraph describing the power and intensity of thoughts and emotions, and how we can redirect and guide our energy “in the most positive direction possible, focusing on the task at hand and trusting what unfolds.” We all checked in with one another, one at a time, expressing what our cards might represent to us and our goals for the workshop.

Next, we would work with the horses. The irony is that I have written previous articles for COWGIRL about equine-assisted healing (for veterans with PTSD, for example). Intellectually, I knew of horses’ healing abilities. However, personally experiencing their energy fields and intense attentiveness in a somatic, body centered way was entirely different, and life changing.

I was reminded of what most cowgirls already know: try as one might, we cannot disguise our innermost feelings in the presence of a 1200-pound prey animal.

The retreat included team penning at White Stallion Guest Ranch.

All horses are able to read body language and energy. Over millennia, they have had to hone their ability to tune into exactly what was going on in their environment in order to survive. After my experiences at the Unbridled weekend, I believe they can also intuitively sense where a person is holding pain—physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. And they will meet you right there. I believe that is why tears may come when one approaches a horse with a vulnerable heart. They accept us as we are in that moment.

Working, or simply being with a horse can be an opportunity, in Comb’s words, “to let down your mane.” There is no point in maintaining pretense when the horse has your number. While this process may be “therapeutic,” Combs is quick to point out that it is not therapy. Rather, it is a lively engagement of “discovering one’s own answers” and “connecting to our inner wisdom.” Worn out excuses and stories are neither indulged nor accepted, and Combs does not shy away from calling “bullshit” on occasion.

An experienced horsewoman with a charismatic and down to earth attitude, Combs is a woman who has walked the talk. In fact, her intelligent, empathic work with others grew directly out of her own harrowing journey through bulimia and depression. She credits her life being saved to a last ditch stint at a treatment center in Arizona where the program included healing modalities with horses. “I was able to pour my heart out in the presence of a horse,” she explains. “A horse who did not run away but instead came closer.” That experience re-awakened a sense of self-awareness, self-compassion and forgiveness—and it opened the door to her life’s work.

Unbridled facilitator and Founder of Beyond the Arena, Devon Combs.

I too, was able to let my heart be seen and recalibrated by the spirit and presence of the horses I encountered. The animals insisted I stay in the moment. I breathed close to the delicate velvet of their noses and felt their warm breath on my cheek. I brushed their manes and their dusty backs. I buried my face against them, releasing the last vestiges of the fears I had been carrying. With lowered heads, they accepted my grief, my uncertainties.

I wrapped my arms around their necks, leaning into their well-muscled shoulders, taking in their scent, imprinting it on my heart which broke open in a flood of tears, washing away the terror that had homesteaded within me. I felt safe.

That afternoon, I got back on a horse. After an hour lesson with the resident wrangler, I set out on a long trail ride among the cactus, winding through the serene Sonoran terrain. I didn’t see any rattlers. I didn’t find any scorpions in my boots (though I continued to give them the recommended morning shake-out) Instead of mountain lions, I spotted two majestic six-point bucks and two fawns. I was relaxed and at ease in the saddle.

Another of the gals riding behind me on the trail actually used the word “graceful.” On the last afternoon, I even took part in the team penning! At one point my hatband flew off as I loped along after collecting a wayward steer. Russell True, ultimate cowboy and owner of the White Stallion Ranch retrieved it and approached me. “You signed on as a beginner at the start of the weekend. Right? That’s what your card said.” “Yes,” I replied. The man of few words beamed, “You’re doing great!”

Deborah and Pueblo Team penning during the Unbridled Retreat at White Stallion Ranch.

I returned home from the White Stallion Ranch and the Unbridled Retreat with a buoyant heart and a sense of self-respect and self-reliance I had not felt in quite some time. I’d left my fear in the dust and had a barrel of fun in the process!

ABOUT UNBRIDLED: Devon Combs’ Beyond the Arena equine-assisted coaching process is ninety-percent ground work, but holding the retreat at the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson afforded the opportunity to take lessons and trail rides, and to participate in team penning—all activities provided by the ranch and available to all guests. At White Stallion Ranch, every person is assigned a horse specifically suited to their level of riding experience, and guests usually ride that horse for the duration of their stay. www.unbridledret.wpengine.com.

The beautiful White Stallion Ranch, originally built in the 1900s, has been owned by the True family for fifty years. The Trues take great pride in both “mindful stewardship of the land,” and “exceptional guest service.” With one of the “largest privately owned herds of horses in Arizona and a large herd of cattle,” it is definitely “beyond the arena.” www.whitestallionranch.com.

What I’m Focusing on in 2019

Happy New Years!

On New Year’s Eve I stayed in and burned a Duraflame log in the fireplace, sipped some bubbly, watched “Big Little Lies,” got in bed, thanked the Universe aloud for lessons learned in 2018, and turned out the light at 12:04am.

The older I get, the less I’m concerned with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when it comes to social situations. My personality was somewhat tempted to go on out New Year’s Eve, but my soul wanted to stay in and celebrate with a quiet night at my new home.


On New Year’s morning, I opened the curtains to fresh snow, and one of my favorite sights in the whole world; Detail and Bella outside my bedroom window.

I made my bed (new pattern!), fed Charley (my cat), bundled up and went outside to feed the horses, then I came inside, burned sage and listened to a guided meditation.

Feeling in the zen zone, I made coffee, watched Oprah on YouTube, and got pumped when she was talking about purpose and authentic power. The most poignant thing that struck me was when Oprah quoted the Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, “When the personality comes fully to serve the energy of the soul, that’s authentic power.”

That really hit me….my personality serving my soul. It does in many aspects of my work but not always in my love life, or in the business side of my work. Interesting new awareness.

I bundled up again and went outside for a brisk walk. My body needed movement, and my new awareness needed processing.

The air was crisp and I headed to the creek.

I love the creek, it’s peaceful and nature soothes my soul. I’m glad my personality was on board to serve my soul and go outside….it would’ve been easier to watch inspirational YouTube videos all morning and resist any physical action.

In 2019 I’m focusing on overcoming resistance, and my word is
E X P A N S I O N.

Expanding my beliefs, my thinking, my actions, and my world by breaking out of thoughts and habits which keep me stuck.

Going for a walk and writing a blog today are two steps I’m taking to overcome my resistance.

Want to find out your word for the new year?

Think about how you want to feel in 2019 and notice how your body responds.

For me, it’s opening my arms out and stretching them as far as they can go while looking up, opening my heart, and taking a deep breath.

That’s how I want to feel….E X P A N S I V E.

I’d love to hear from you, what are you focusing on in 2019? Share in the comments below.

Sending you love and positive energy for the new year!

xo,

Devon

You Have Permission

I recently read a poem aloud at the Montana Retreat and I got chills because IT’S THAT GOOD.

The poem strikes a deep chord for me, and I have a feeling it may resonate for you too.

It’s called “You Have Permission” by Leonie Dawson…

“Today, and everyday, you have permission.

You have permission.

You have permission to say no to demands on your time that don’t light you up, and don’t give energy back to you.

You have permission to not give a crap what’s happening outside your world, and keep your energy focussed on what you are creating.

You have permission to let go of friendships that make you feel like shit.

You have permission to say no whenever you like, however you like, in whatever kind of voice you like, without feeling like only Mean Girls Say No and Nice Girls Say Yes. That’s bull. Yes and No have equal weighting – what’s important is if you use them when they are the best thing for you, not out of fear, obligation or guilt.

You have permission to know that Yes is powerful, and so is No. The power comes from you using either from your highest spirit and truest integrity.

You have permission to change. You have permission to not be the person you once were.

You have permission to get angry and self-righteous, and to also glean the wisdom from those emotions. They are leading you to where your boundaries are, and where they have been crossed, and what you need to do from now on.

You have permission to be exactly how you are.

You have permission to not be more like anyone else in the world, even if you think they are better, wiser or more popular. You have permission to be more like yourself, your gifts and your wisdom.

You have permission to not care what other people think of you.

You have permission to not try to change what other people think of you. You can’t ever argue that you are a good person. They will either know you are, or not. You don’t need to spend time with people who don’t believe in you.

You have permission to do things that your friends and family do not.

You have permission to be wild, expressive, truthful, exciting and outspoken.

You have permission to not accept friendship requests on Facebook, or anywhere else in your life. You have permission to block people whenever you like.

You have permission to share as much or as little as you like. You have permission to blog, or not blog. You have permission to Twitter, or not to Twitter. It doesn’t really matter. As long as it’s making you happy, that’s the best thing.

You have permission to suck at a wide variety of activities. It’s okay. You make up for it with your million other brilliance particles.

You have permission to be whatever body shape you like.

You have permission to choose, and choose again. And then choose again.

You have permission to not always be a perfect image of something.

You have permission to be a contradiction.

You have permission to not go to your school reunion, unless it really excites you and delights you, and you would love to really heart-reconnect with people you went to school with.

You have permission to not be interested in the newest fad: harem pants, geek glasses, polaroid cameras, scrapbooking, macrame. You also have permission to be totally obsessed with them, if it makes your heart light up.

You have permission to cut people from your life. You have permission to surround yourself with people who are good and loving and nurturing to you.

You have permission to be a disappointment to some people, as long as you’re not a disappointment to yourself.

You have permission to do nothing whenever you like.

You have permission to make your big dream come true.

You have permission to not do it all perfectly, or have all your shit together.

You have permission to not forgive people. You have permission to forgive people when it’s right for you.

You have permission to think some people are crazy. You have permission to think some people are smigging ice-cream with chocolate and wafers and sprinkles and cherries on top.

You have permission to not have the perfect relationship.

You have permission to not have a relationship.

You have permission to take whatever time you need for you.

You have permission to make ridiculous choices for yourself.

You have permission to use and listen to your intuition. To feel when things are off, and to remove yourself from them, even when you don’t quite know why. You will always find out why. Our intuition is here to serve us.

You have permission to be down. You have permission to be up.

You have permission to still believe in unicorns and fairies.

You have permission to believe in things that other people think are very very odd and strange. You have permission to not care. You have permission to believe in things that make your life wholer, richer and deeper. You have permission to make your own world that is the truest painting of you.

You have permission to suck at coloring in.

You have permission to say bugger off to anyone who has ever told you that you’re not good enough, you’re not worth it, you are not beautiful, you are not lovable and you are not the most divine, wise, delicious Goddess to walk the planet.

You have permission to know that you are.

You have permission to swear when you like, however you like, to your reckless abandon.

You have permission to not be the best of anything – just the best of yourself. And some days, just the best you can do that day.

You have permission to not always give. You have permission to fill your own cup up first.

You have permission to have things around you that delight you.

You have permission to live in a tipi if you want to, or a mansion. Whatever makes your spirit shine is the right thing for you.

You have permission to make choices on whether it makes your spirit shine.

You have permission to know you are a goddess, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Even when you feel utterly human. Even when you want nothing more than to climb under your blanket, or light up the sky.

You are a goddess.

You have permission.

You have permission.

You have permission.”

I’d love to hear from you…which part of the poem spoke to you the most? Leave a comment below.

For me, it was “You have permission to change. You have permission to not be the person you once were.” Gulp, that’s a big one. It’s scary AND exciting. 

Starting today, let’s ALL give ourselves permission.

Love,

Devon