by shelbyolyschlager | Horsemanship & Barrel Racing, Performance Mindset
I always knew competition would show all the shadows in my life. That’s why I feel so deeply that personal development is the root and the starting point for all the external results we want to achieve; either in the arena or life in general.
In the arena, we cannot fake anything and we cannot pretend. It is us, our horses, the clock, cow, judge, obstacles; whatever your discipline is. There are no faking results. That is one reason why I love competition, it calls out all the BS. It shows where I lack, either in the actual arena or in the many “arenas” of my life.
If you’re not confident, your riding performance will show that, if you have anxiety about being seen, your performance will show that. In so many ways, our development as a human is needed if we are to overcome our own set of obstacles to really shine and thrive!
This brings me to a quick story about why I was not performing well. I think after many years, I finally have my answers as to why. To back track, this takes us roughly 4 years ago. I went to the USA to work for a few futurity trainers and I came home thinking I knew everything there was to know about barrel racing.
I did learn a lot, but when it was my time to shine and show off how much better I was than everyone else, it was a total disaster.. No kidding. I had a 4 year old futurity horse I could hardly get a qualifying run on and if we did manage to turn three barrels, it was definitely not fast. I was so embarrassed and confused after every run being a let down. “What was I missing in this?” I asked myself. I reached a state of very unhappy and hopeless. Before I ran I wondered why I was even going into that arena and as you can imagine my performance kept reinforcing this mental state I was trapped in.
Eventually, after many realizations and major humbling, I overcame this mental block. Slowly we scratched off the possibilities that were causing this unfortunate hiccup. First we looked at the horse; after a vet and a variety of therapeutic treatments later, she was in the clear. Now who else do we have to blam? Oh ya, it was me.
This brings me to the big thing I realized was missing those many years ago. I am trying not to be embarrassed to say this, but it was self-love. Like, the real self love. To help explain the definition of what I was going through, I will tell you what it is not. It was myself not taking care of “me.” I was unable to fill my own cup up, so I turned to external factors. I wanted my barrel racing to fill my self esteem. I wanted other people to make me feel qualified enough to be here(like being born isn’t enough already..). I wanted support from a partner to allow me to feel loved and supported because really, I was unable to do it for myself. I thought I needed all these things to reach victory in the arena. I learned that even if I had all these things on my side; they wouldn’t fix the bigger issue going on within myself internally.
This was a “me vs me” journey I had to face.
Before this realization, I always felt personally attacked when my barrel racing runs didn’t go well. I took it to heart as a reflection of my self-worth; hello unnecessary pressure. I became so reliant on “winning” that if I wasn’t getting that “win” I was miserable and felt no love, either from others or simply myself. If I wasn’t winning in the arena, I could hardly stand to look at myself. Sounds crazy right? But it’s a very real thing we face in lots of areas, not just riding. But like I said before, our life outside of riding reflects ourselves on the inside of it too!
I learnt that we can get caught up wanting external factors to make us feel certain ways about ourselves; worthiness, beautiful, love etc.. But the problem is, when we don’t get those things we lose it all. But, here is the ticket; if we create those feelings within ourselves first, nothing outside can take that away from us; not a run, not a person, not any external circumstances – it is solely an inside job.
A quote from this book I’m reading called Spirit Hacking By Shaman Durek said “?If you’re wanting people to honour your time and your gifts, then you need to honour your time and you need to honour your gifts.” Aka it starts with you.
Moving forward, I have become so sure of myself and my journey I don’t take defeat in any arenas of life personally anymore. I take everything that happens as a necessary lesson for me to grow and I am just grateful I get the opportunity to try again. I will change and pivot in order to become better. The difference is now, my internal state is solid while I am traveling down this path that is inevitably full of ups and downs.
Once I became so sure of myself, and let go of the “need” to win; the craziest thing started to happen – I actually started winning! I started riding with confidence no matter the outcome, I just felt lighter and at ease with my journey. All the pressure of competition just swept away from me because the competition result didn’t have the weight of my self worth riding on it. This new me started with self love. And that’s loving all aspects of this, the highs and lows. It’s understanding the path we’re on and feeling at ease with it knowing it is all for our higher good.
I hope you can move forward, no matter what happens and still feel ok about yourself. You are already complete. When it becomes an inside job and you rely on yourself to bring you the internal feeling of success, nothing can take that away. And that’s when you know you have reached true success! When that happens, life becomes easier and the things you want will come to you as they are supposed to. Always remember to enjoy the ride.
your supporter,
Shelby
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset, Spirituality
As I was walking towards the barn one day, my feet were sinking a few inches into the newly laid snow. It was a beautiful winter morning where I looked around, feeling and breathing in all the “thank yous” for this moment. It can be so beautiful when we realize and feel the true moment of right here, right now.
This short story gives a lesson of trusting new paths
Sometimes I am a person who NEEDS to see exactly where I am going before I take any steps towards it. I need to know the most, feel prepared the most, and usually not even follow through because I don’t see it as clearly as I want to.
I had this fully body realization that has changed my perspective of this thought, or inner obstacle that had been slowing me down.
I will say first that I think we do need a plan, we need to know what we want in the future. But in my case, the need for the plan actually stoped me from taking ACITON. Which is the final step to any manifestation you want to bring, so action is really important. And one I have been missing out on doing, because hey, it can be scary to start living as someone you haven’t lived like before in this life.
When I started to walk back from the barn I wanted to play a game to see if I could walk naturally in the same footsteps I took getting there. As I was trying to walk the same path I realized it was quite challenging to place each foot exactly in the imprint I had made earlier. I thought “walking on clean snow where I didn’t see the step was easy. But trying to step in places I knew were there was way harder.”
Was this relating to life?
I think so; I felt the difference. It was an easy experiment that left me pondering if I had been too focused trying to step in a spot I could see clearly that I was missing the idea that new paths are always on fresh snow. I had to walk my own path and be ok not seeing the full picture but believing and trusting in the steps that I am taking.
I think trust is a big key. We will talk more about the power of trust. Trusting what has happened and what is happening to you. Trust and relax the process, it hasn’t been laid out yet in the snow for you to see but your path is there for you to create.
We are all trail blazers in our own way, will you own your path and walk it with confidence?
thank you for reading,
Your coach and supporter always
Shelby
by shelbyolyschlager | Horsemanship & Barrel Racing, Performance Mindset
I always knew competition would show all the shadows in my life. That’s why I feel so deeply that personal development is the root and the starting point for all the external results we want to achieve; either in the arena or life in general.
In the arena, we cannot fake anything and we cannot pretend. It is us, our horses, the clock, cow, judge, obstacles; whatever your discipline is. There are no faking results. That is one reason why I love competition, it calls out all the BS. It shows where I lack, either in the actual arena or in the many “arenas” of my life.
If you’re not confident, your riding performance will show that, if you have anxiety about being seen, your performance will show that. In so many ways, our development as a human is needed if we are to overcome our own set of obstacles to really shine and thrive!
This brings me to a quick story about why I was not performing well. I think after many years, I finally have my answers as to why. To back track, this takes us roughly 4 years ago. I went to the USA to work for a few futurity trainers and I came home thinking I knew everything there was to know about barrel racing.
I did learn a lot, but when it was my time to shine and show off how much better I was than everyone else, it was a total disaster.. No kidding. I had a 4 year old futurity horse I could hardly get a qualifying run on and if we did manage to turn three barrels, it was definitely not fast. I was so embarrassed and confused after every run being a let down. “What was I missing in this?” I asked myself. I reached a state of very unhappy and hopeless. Before I ran I wondered why I was even going into that arena and as you can imagine my performance kept reinforcing this mental state I was trapped in.
Eventually, after many realizations and major humbling, I overcame this mental block. Slowly we scratched off the possibilities that were causing this unfortunate hiccup. First we looked at the horse; after a vet and a variety of therapeutic treatments later, she was in the clear. Now who else do we have to blam? Oh ya, it was me.
This brings me to the big thing I realized was missing those many years ago. I am trying not to be embarrassed to say this, but it was self-love. Like, the real self love. To help explain the definition of what I was going through, I will tell you what it is not. It was myself not taking care of “me.” I was unable to fill my own cup up, so I turned to external factors. I wanted my barrel racing to fill my self esteem. I wanted other people to make me feel qualified enough to be here(like being born isn’t enough already..). I wanted support from a partner to allow me to feel loved and supported because really, I was unable to do it for myself. I thought I needed all these things to reach victory in the arena. I learned that even if I had all these things on my side; they wouldn’t fix the bigger issue going on within myself internally.
This was a “me vs me” journey I had to face.
Before this realization, I always felt personally attacked when my barrel racing runs didn’t go well. I took it to heart as a reflection of my self-worth; hello unnecessary pressure. I became so reliant on “winning” that if I wasn’t getting that “win” I was miserable and felt no love, either from others or simply myself. If I wasn’t winning in the arena, I could hardly stand to look at myself. Sounds crazy right? But it’s a very real thing we face in lots of areas, not just riding. But like I said before, our life outside of riding reflects ourselves on the inside of it too!
I learnt that we can get caught up wanting external factors to make us feel certain ways about ourselves; worthiness, beautiful, love etc.. But the problem is, when we don’t get those things we lose it all. But, here is the ticket; if we create those feelings within ourselves first, nothing outside can take that away from us; not a run, not a person, not any external circumstances – it is solely an inside job.
A quote from this book I’m reading called Spirit Hacking By Shaman Durek said “ ??If you’re wanting people to honour your time and your gifts, then you need to honour your time and you need to honour your gifts.” Aka it starts with you.
Moving forward, I have become so sure of myself and my journey I don’t take defeat in any arenas of life personally anymore. I take everything that happens as a necessary lesson for me to grow and I am just grateful I get the opportunity to try again. I will change and pivot in order to become better. The difference is now, my internal state is solid while I am traveling down this path that is inevitably full of ups and downs.
Once I became so sure of myself, and let go of the “need” to win; the craziest thing started to happen – I actually started winning! I started riding with confidence no matter the outcome, I just felt lighter and at ease with my journey. All the pressure of competition just swept away from me because the competition result didn’t have the weight of my self worth riding on it. This new me started with self love. And that’s loving all aspects of this, the highs and lows. It’s understanding the path we’re on and feeling at ease with it knowing it is all for our higher good.
I hope you can move forward, no matter what happens and still feel ok about yourself. You are already complete. When it becomes an inside job and you rely on yourself to bring you the internal feeling of success, nothing can take that away. And that’s when you know you have reached true success! When that happens, life becomes easier and the things you want will come to you as they are supposed to. Always remember to enjoy the ride.
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset
The best Way to Let Go of Unnecessary pressure in Competition and Life
Nothing grows in the energy of “should.” I have officially dropped the pressure of my results of “should” and here is how.
I no longer NEED them in order to FEEL some type of way. I create the feeling within myself and now the outside does not determine the way I feel about myself anymore.
BUT, I just realized, as i am going through my business journey and purpose journey I am putting pressure on myself a lot. I feel “omg I need to get this going already” “I feel behind, I need to follow through” “I’m not getting any closer to it no matter what I do or how hard I try!” – Does this sound familiar??
In order to naturally progress in the right alignment for you, you need to simply allow. You need to do the work to prepare; day by day and moment to moment.
But, instead of pressure for race day or any day for that matter, you have a new goal!
Your goal is to breathe in, and breathe out.
Do it now. Ok, feel that with everything you do.
Remember, it will turn out ok. You’re not done, you’re never going to reach a “finish line” that all of a sudden you release the pressure.
Pressure is something you create. You can also choose NOW, to not create it.
What does that feel like?
It feels like your’re moving with ease. It feels like you are where you’re supposed to be.
Without pressure there is enjoyment, no matter what. No matter if you “win” or “lose”, you are able to think clear enough to see the lessons and growth in it all.
Drop pressure, enjoy your moments and take it all stride by stride
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset, Spirituality
It starts with a good, go-to book you can fully express yourself in.
It represents you, as a horsewoman full of thoughts, dreams, goals, and desires. The blank pages are your portal to be heard, uncover and understand yourself better.
How Journaling Helps??
check out some other articles that journaling can become apart of. mindset, gratitude staying focued
Stay 100% Focused & Calm Barrel Racing
Limiting beliefs as a rider
Barrel Racing Affirmations you NEED to Hear – Manifest and Allow
This journal a birthday gift from my brother! I didn’t think I needed it but its been used for all my more personal writing and discoveries. I use it in the evening when I am decluttering my mind, gaining clarity on all that is. The things I’ve written in here have been very enlightening.
They are available on Amazon!
Get your leather covered blank journal here
by shelbyolyschlager | Horsemanship & Barrel Racing, Performance Mindset
It’s race day, the early morning sun is shining, horses are eating and all is well. We haven’t competed yet so we have nothing to be angry, upset or disappointed with. We are in a place of optimism, possibilities and potential, “yay I think I am really going to crush it today”.
Then, we get on our horse, things start to go south. They’re hot and anxious, they’re distracted, they’re anything we don’t necessarily want them to be in order to perform well. All of a sudden, your mood has done a 180 along with your vision of the day. You’re now getting tense with your horse. Your smile is now a tight, clenched jaw and your eyes are staring at your horse with anger and frustration like why aren’t you doing what I want you to do?!! (side note, it isn’t all about what YOU want THEM to do) moving on though..
Before you know it, you are taking a back seat to your emotions and you’re allowing your horse to control how you feel about yourself and the situation. Your body and mind don’t lie. When physical aspects of ourselves change, so does our mind, that’s why they say it is impossible to be tense in your face and also be relaxed. (give it a try). Open your mouth, take your tongue off the roof of your mouth and relax the lower part of your face. Feel better?
So what does this have to do with anything?
I see often, riders developing a sour attitude, being overly serious and taking out their new emotional frustration on their horses. Things don’t always go to plan, horses are horses after all and competition brings so many uncertain elements that we simply cannot control every aspect of.
We are leaders, I preach this often. We have to approach the situation how we want our horses to be as well. That means relaxed, focused, present, light and soft etc. It is one race, one competition. It’s not the end of the world if every element didn’t go to your plan.In life nothing really does, so take it as a life lesson and learn to adapt to change however it’s going to come. Being able to be resilient in new situations will give you an advantage in the show arena.
Next race day I want you to be aware of how your horse influences you and how you influence your horses.
If your horse is acting less than ideal, how are you managing yourself to take back control of yourself? Are you going down to their level and becoming the rider you didn’t want to be in the morning? Are you getting quick and aggressive with your hands because your horse is “misbehaving”? “Are you being the example?
That can mean you hit a barrel today, that’s ok. We have to gracefully accept it. We have to trust ourselves and our horses, we have to allow the results to happen however they’re going to happen, we can’t control that. But we can control our attitude. We are the leader and we have control over many things, mostly our outlook and how we handle it.
I love horses and competing because the lessons I take into my day to day give me insight into becoming content and fulfilled no matter the uncontrollables that come my way. Next race, I want you to catch yourself getting caught up in the uncontrollables. How are you responding to life and your horses?
This is up to you so please choose the right thing. Choose to accept, choose to go easier on yourself and especially on your horses. They are doing it all for us, it’s only fair to respect their efforts no matter what happens. Pat them, give them love, be the leader, show them by example what it means to love the job and love every good or bad thing that comes with it.
Let’s not be so serious and let’s remember why we show up every day and on weekends.
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset
The good news is, you don’t need to go buy a horse and learn for 20 years how horses work and how you work with horses. They talk to us like no one else can, they tell us things in ways no one else can. It’s in whispers, in actions, in the subtle gestures that speak loudly to our intuition, only if you are intune enough to hear it. They run in a natural hierarchy just like we do. When we involve ourselves in their pack, we have to let them know where we sit on the totem pole. Which, for everyone’s sake and safety, we should be in the top spot. We are the leaders.
But that’s not always the case, some riders allow the horses to take control. If horses have the opportunity they will take the mile you thought was only an inch.. The saying goes “give them an inch and they will take a mile.” I’m sure that phrase has been used in more ways than one. However in my experience with training horses, that saying has always been true.
But, horses are usually incredibly submissive creatures.. They want to please and once they’re “broke” they will do almost anything you ask, work all day, no major complaints coming from their end.. Because, you know, they cant speak after all.
What does that mean for us? We have a lot more control and say than we think we do. We are the leaders. With that, comes a lot more responsibility to get the desired outcome we want. For me, it is training a horse to turn around three barrels as fast as possible. It sounds easy, you just pull here, pull there, slow down, make the turn and so on. The horse can run fast, what’s the problem? How hard can it truly be?
Well, to answer that question I have a question to ask first –
When was the last time you performed a task at peak performance and detail, without verbally communicating with your partner? Did you find one? Ok cool, now a step further? How about they’re not human and dont have a human brain to process the task in a way you do, they don’t just not speak like you do, they don’t even resemble the same language you do. They are very un-relatable as far as understanding the purpose and the mission of their tasks. They don’t think about the future, they don’t make goals, they don’t have interior motives. These are all things that make horses amazing and on the contrary, also very difficult to become a successful team with. But it’s definitely not impossible and once you develop that togetherness with a horse, you spread these wings of freedom and of pureness that will take you far in the sand arena and in every arena of your life. .
Throughout my experience working with horses, I have learnt more about myself. Throughout all the failures, the successes, the setbacks, the let downs, the tears, the overwhelming joy of finally getting the results I wanted; I learnt how to handle it all within my time with these horses.
In this series, I am here to teach you all the lessons these animals have given me. I love when lessons learnt in one area of my life can relate to other aspects. It’s so cool how connected, seemingly opposite things are. In some sense, it’s the yin and yang to life. I have realized, these principles apply to almost anyone. I am here to share how we can apply these teachings I learnt through my life with horses.
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset
Do you ever state a fact as permanent even though it is really only temporary? Or declare something you do as “its you” do be like that” or its your horse “to always act in a certain way”? An example being “I never feel fully prepared for competitions” or use your own circumstances to fill in the blank.
Those are beliefs that are limiting you into a small space of your own creation. It’s a bubble you are stuck in based on your current status. How we talk to ourselves matters. How we talk about everything matters!
Our outlook can be created on a few things. Either the beliefs of our society telling us what is right and wrong and it’s created by our own representation of past events that have happened and are shaping our view of reality.
The first, limiting beliefs because of our social walls created by simply being human. We are supposed to do this and that but only at “that time” in our lives. But who’s decided that it’s truly right for us? The only ones who know us best are ourselves. We know when we have limiting beliefs because they don’t sit right. You feel uneasy being small, you know you have more to offer. If you are to strip off that barrier that has been created you would feel the sense of liberation that anything is possible for you. The world opens up because you are not tied to those beliefs anymore. Wouldn’t that sense of control feel liberating? You’ll feel that sense of excitement for the future because you realize it is yours to create!
Now the other. The limiting beliefs we put on ourselves. It can almost be harder to understand and dissolve than the beliefs society brings. Everything we have been through has shaped us unwillingly into who we are today. We only have two options in the matter, how we understand it and how we allow it to affect us.
Let’s say, in a riding sense. You seem to struggle with your first barrel turn. Do you think telling yourself “I always struggle with my first barrel” is going to allow you to stop struggling? Or will it only feed into the belief that “I always struggle with first”? What do you think is going to happen moving forward? My guess is that you will continue to struggle until you change your narrative. Inorder to truly move forward into the future you want, you have to let go of that belief that’s holding you back into your past experiences.
The awesome thing with our own limiting beliefs is we always have The control. We can choose how we view a situation and we can decide how we talk to ourselves moving forward to the next one. Every race or competition or day is a new chance for change. It starts with our beliefs.
This month I have a challenge. Notice all the limiting beliefs you tell yourself and the once society puts on you. I want you to write them down and write down how they make you feel internally. Go deep, take time to really listen to yourself. Once you write down what they have been in the past. Now write down how you would feel without those beliefs. How would your outlook change? What would you do differently? Really visualize your future as true to you as possible. I want you to feel it. Once it’s been established, remember it. Make the decision daily on how you are going to take control of your beliefs and show up in a way that sits right for you. You are the most important being in your life, make sure you honor your true beliefs by bringing more awareness to them all. The next step is always forward!
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset
The end of that “what if” can go in any way imaginable.. and it usually does. Our imagination storms up thoughts and stories of events in the future that will likely only happen in our minds. But why is it so negative? Why do we get these thought that don’t serve us? How can we alter the way we view these intrusive thoughts to become at ease with the possibilities of EVERYTHING. This is how me, as a human first, barrel racer second have looked at these “what if” stories I’ve been telling myself and changed the narrative for the better.
Reasons why “what if” is ruining your moments
It makes you distracted. Spending energy debating the likelihood of a bad thing happening, then going through all the potential actions you’d take is a big distraction. We are using up our precious brain energy being focused on something other then the reality that is. The reality of the present moment is gone through your imagination of what if. It becomes a foggy place for our brain and perspective to be. Getting lost in those stories can set us up for pretty obvious results, since we ultimately dictate out actions with our thoughts.
TIP: Becoming grounded and present by observing your thoughts to help see them more clearly and up close. You’re then able to understand what they mean, which makes them a little less scary.
An example from a competitor standpoint.
If I were approaching an event with the visions of all the variables involved in my success. I guarantee I would not be focused on what to actually do in the moment of my performance. Feeling less connected to the present moment is always a negative when it comes to competition. Anxiety, nerves, uncertainty are all side effects that will set us up for a less than ideal performance. Trust me, I know.
Now, from a human standpoint
“What If” can look like major anxiety. It’s really unsettling to be fighting with your brain about a false, futuristic reality before anything has even happened. Have you ever gotten mad because you just thought of something happening, or someone being unfair? Thanks to our minds running wild, im sure we can all answer, yes. Getting grounded in the now can help put some of those thoughts to rest. Mindfulness and awareness is key to understanding and taking back control of your thoughts.
Start there. Start by taking the time to be with your thoughts. Learn about them, what are they telling you?
There so many things that can go wrong but there’s also so many things that can go right!
Have you heard the saying that goes along the lines of “what if it doesn’t work, but darlinggggg what if it does!?” We cannot ERASE thoughts, but what we can do is REPLACE them with more positive ones.
Example: What if I hit a barrel? What if im late? What if they don’t like me? What if I forget something important? What if I prove it to myself that I am prepared for this moment? What if I allow what is going to happen happen? What if I will be ok with it no mater what? What if, even if I fail, I will still be happy I tried. What if, I know I am prepared and thats all I can ask for from myself. What if it turns out better than I could have even expected? The possibilities of “what if” can be beautiful if we allow it to be.
My story
I have seen it change how I approach the relationship with myself and others. I naturally am a bit of a skeptic, I need to see it to truly believe it and even then, that isn’t always enough. I allow my brain to decide how I feel and how I should feel in the future. It involves someone or something else out of my control. As a perfectionist and over controller, both things I am working on. I realize so many things are out of my control. I need to become as peace with that. I need to always work on me, be happy within myself so the outcomes don’t affect me as much as they could. I am choosing to let go of the ideals I’ve had and will continue to have about the future. I am choosing now. I am choosing to be ok with outcomes as long as I stay true to myself.
Just realizing is a good step in the right direction of taking power back from these intrusive thoughts. What might happen is out of out control. How someone acts is out of out control. But, what we do have control over is realizing when we get into a whirlwind of these intrusive thoughts. Simple notice them and say “hey, I hear you up there! That’s not the story I choose to see or believe right now. We don’t know it true and I cannot control the future outcomes anyways”. Notice yourself. Notice your thought patterns in different situations and different relationships in your life, humans or horses. How we respond is telling us everything we need to know about ourselves. Just listen to it.
This is more about intrusive thought. This is about learning about you. Why are you being triggered? What is your trauma of your past trying to protect you of now? Is it important? Is it serving you now? Will it serve you in the future?
Asking these types of questions will help you take power back from the stories we unwillingly keep telling ourselves. Realize you are not alone and realize you can control these for the better, for a happier more grounded self. You will be amazed how the joy of the present moment can change your perspectives of the future. Allow it to be!
Be in the now, focus on the control you have and take everything in stride. You are stronger then you realize.
With much love,
Shelby Olyschlager
by shelbyolyschlager | Performance Mindset
Have you ever been completely overwhelmed with feelings, your body shuts off from them. It’s the place where denial and acceptance becomes so hard.
We can’t even accept the feelings pouring into us like a flood gate opened that cannot be reversed. The fact time never stops, can’t be reversed like the water that’s now pouring all over the life you once knew. The dreams and visions you once had are gone.
Realizing the mistakes you made cannot be reversed. You’re now stuck with the lessons and “why me” thoughts that only leave in time.
Time is a weird thing. We hate that it doesn’t stop, but the only way we heal is with it. We need it yet we hate it.
I hate time. I needed more time. I didn’t need to learn this lessons now. I’ve learnt so much. So many flood gates of water opened to a new reality of my life. but why. Why me. Why this. Why did it have to be that way?
You’ll never know. All you know is now we are here, the time is gone. The things have happened and you are here trying to process the feelings.
Open yourself up. The new reality is here and you cannot fight it. We must accept it. We have to accept it.
Here is to allowing time to change us, change our future and make us who we are destined to become.
With love, Shelby Olyschlager
