Maintaining Perspective During Tough Competition

This year in particular, the rodeo industry has evolved tremendously in the level of competition at each event. With the impact of the pandemic, the number of events on the PRCA schedule has been reduced drastically. So, what happens when there finally is a rodeo to enter? Everyone goes to it. Where there might have been 8 of the top 50 cowboys/cowgirls at a rodeo before, now, there are 30 of the top 50. While there are some competitors who make rodeo their careers, there are a significant number of cowboys/cowgirls that are weekend competitors. They stay in the circuit rodeos with no real intentions of making a run at the National Finals. So, when more of the “career cowboys” show up to these circuit rodeos, what happens? Those who may have dominated the circuit rodeos last year may find themselves struggling to fall into the top 10 at a rodeo this year. If this is you and you are feeling frustrated, I challenge you to shift your perspective. Perspective plays into everything you do. Especially in a year like this, you have to work extra hard to keep a forward-thinking perspective. This year has forced us, as an industry, to level up our performance. What was “good enough” before might not ever be good enough again. While it may be frustrating at times, this opportunity should also be exciting. There is a tremendous opportunity for growth unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in this industry. When you surround yourself with tougher competition, you elevate your own performance. By putting yourself in the position where you are not the best in the room, you expose your weaknesses and discover where you need to focus your time and efforts to improve. Whether you rise up to that higher level of performance depends solely on your level of commitment. Those who are committed to your goals, rather than just interested in them, are the ones that will rise to the occasion. These are the people that see competition as a tool for growth rather than frustration. They are the ones that have a solid perspective. It’s important to remember that life’s a journey, and we are all in the business of personal development. Be mature enough in your mentality to recognize obstacles as challenges, not setbacks. Use your competition as motivation. Adopt the mentality that you will never be “good enough.” This will cause you to wake up every day and say, “What can I do to get a little bit better today?” I promise, if you ask yourself this question daily, your perspective will begin to shift into a growth mindset.