Let Me Decide

Hello,

I’ve always thought it was funny when your talking to someone and they say, “Let me tell you something about me”. I always think to myself, why don’t you just talk and I’ll decide what I think about you. So, because of that I’ve always shied away from that saying. But this month I want to tell you about what has been going on with me and what I think lies ahead

For those of you who don’t follow the rodeo business, the last year I qualified for the National Finals Rodeo was in 1989. I was invited to rope in 1993 and did, but I didn’t qualify that year so really it has been 17 years since I’ve been to “The Show,” as younger generation refers to it. All that time, I have been putting on roping schools, but my desire to compete against the best guys in the world keeps pulling me back into this life style. It’s been said that the rodeo business is like the mafia, once your in, you can never get out and that’s applies to me.
A lot of factors went into this decision to come back and see it I could qualify for the NFR again. I understand the rodeo business and I know what it takes to be a contender so I knew what would be expected of me. I don’t care who you are, or how successful you have been in your chosen career there is always self doubt. Can I do this against the new wave of guys? Is my style as sound as I think it is? Are these horses that I have as good as I think? The horsemanship ideas that I am convinced about, will they stand up to the pressure of competing at the top level? All these things I wondered about before I tried this, but my underlying belief is that if your will to succeed is strong enough, and your not afraid of hard work any person can accomplish anything they put their mind to. So believing that, I decided to only put on 10 roping schools instead of 45 and I started out on this quest in January.
The first 3 rodeos of the year were Fort Worth, TX. Odessa, TX. and Denver, CO. They also have a great jackpot in Odessa during the rodeo and I competed at that as well. My partner turned every steer and I missed at every rodeo including the jackpot. I’m sorry, I did catch one steer at the rodeo in Odessa by the grace of God and I did win a small check, but I was sick about the way this thing started out.
I don’t know if this guy lives in your brain, but I’ve got a guy that lives in my head that only shows up when things are bad. He says things like, ‘I knew this was a crazy Idea.’ ‘We had a good life putting on roping schools but no, you got to try something at 50 years old that no one has ever done just to see if you could. How’s it working out?’ ‘You haven’t caught but one steer all month and your partner is roping great and we have 57 more rodeo’s to look forward to.’ It’s very disappointing that this voice whispers to me when I struggle, but after reading about other performers and athletes I found out that almost all people hear that same voice. I’ve heard him before and I know how to quite him down. Get up earlier and work harder, so that is what I did. Now keep in mind when I say that I know I’m not only guy out here that works hard, a lot of guys do, but a lot of them don’t and when they are face with adversity they quite and I won’t. I’d rather die trying and fail then quit. So, I continued on and things turned around. We won big in February and March and by April we were in the lead. The rodeos moved to California in the spring and we did well out there. We did well at Reno in June and we were the most successful team during the 4th of July rodeo’s. As August begins we are back in the lead. It will take about $50,000 in winnings to qualify for the NFR. As of August 1st we have $60,000 so we have qualified to the NFR, so the goal has changed from qualifying for the Show to winning the World Championship. Why isn’t that a realistic goal? If I can beat these guys for 7 months, why not beat them for 5 more and finish the job, so that’s what I’ve decided to do. I need to work twice as hard as I have all year, because towards the top of any mountain the terrain gets steep so I must be prepared for the toughest part of the year. I’ve competed at the National Finals several times in Las Vegas I know what it sounds and feels like, so I have started to visualize runs that I’m going to make there. It’s been said that our subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between reality and fiction. So, I’ve been telling my mind wonderful stories about an old grey haired guy that accomplishes great things in the cold night air in the desert in December and about that little negative guy that whispers in my ear when things are going bad. Well, I haven’t heard much from him since January. Maybe he died, but I think he’s still in there waiting for an opportunity to show back up. But, when he does I will repeat a saying to him that hangs over my desk
“Press On. Nothing in the world will take the place of persistence. Education will not. The World is full of educated derelicts. Talent will not. The World is full of unsuccessful me with talent. Persistence and determination alone are the keys to success.” Press on.

Until next month,
Thank you for your time.

Walt Woodard