"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse.

Besides working with Ace, my life consists of a full-time job, taking care of the horses (my barn currently has three of my own and three boarders), planning a wedding, taking care of the house, and any number of other things I have going on at any one time.

I am busy. I don't have an active social life because there is no time, and if the boy and I didn't live together I would never see him.

I have to remind myself of this quote often. Sometimes several times a week. Sometimes several times a day.

I get home, I'm tired, I have a thousand other things to do. It's so easy to say, "It's too hot." or "Ace seems off today." or "I have to get this laundy done/bathroom clean/dishes put away."

But I repeat that quote, over and over and over, and I change my clothes and go outside and work with Ace. I take 90 minutes out of my day to groom him and lunge him and ride him.

And you know what? There has never been a day when I regretted it. When I came back in and said, "Damn! I really wish I had done these dishes earlier rather than working with Ace."

Because my work shows. When he gets worked four days a week, our progress is phenomenal. It's mind-blowing. I'm not working with the same horse I had a year ago. I'm working with a smart, wonderful, loyal gelding who wants nothing more than to do right by me. Ace enjoys working. He sees me coming and nickers to me and shoves his face into the halter.

I realized yesterday that this was important to share, because I'm sure everyone has those days when it's easy to be "too busy." Yesterday was one of those days for me. I literally repeated, "If not, you will find an excuse." outloud to myself as I dragged myself to the barn.

But, within an hour, I was riding Ace. And not just riding- we were trotting around the round pen practicing half-halts. All on our own. Without Michelle, without a lunge line "just in case." Just the two of us working. And he was PERFECT. So perfect. And I realized in that moment, that his perfection was SO worth me working with him even though I didn't really want to.

Life shouldn't be about making excuses. Life should be about making decisions.

I am making the decision that I am going to turn Ace into the incredible horse I know he can be. And sometimes that decision means not making excuses.