“Schooling The Bucker”

“If you get bucked off, get right back on”.  Is there any phrase that has made the transition from the corral to the office more than this one? It usually focuses on the rider -- building grit, courage, and confidence. But recently, I was struck by the impact on the other party -- the horse.

We hosted a family reunion. The first night, we all went to a local rodeo. The next day, I had the bright idea of having one of our own. My son Eli volunteered to try riding our two-year-old colt Gaucho, who had never been ridden, as we all watched.

On his first two attempts, Guacho started bucking, and Eli jumped off. But no one had to tell Eli to get back on. He was absolutely determined and, by the end of the day, was confidently riding the horse around the corral. It was as if the colt realized his efforts to get Eli off his back were useless.

Persistence doesn’t just change us -- it changes how the world responds to us.

I just listened to a podcast about the Battle of Cannae, Rome’s worst defeat. In a single day, nearly 70,000 Roman soldiers were killed, representing one in five of the nation's military-aged men. Any other country would’ve sued for peace, but instead, Rome passed a law forbidding even talking about that option. Their relentless resolve won the war and built a reputation that would last 1000 years.  Like our colt, other countries realized resistance was pointless because Rome, like Eli, would never stop.