Most of the blogs that I write come from inspiration that was a result of a situation, event, speaker, movie, writer or a conversation that I had. Two of my favorite and most influential men inspired this blog. John Maxwell, 70 and Shane Farmer, 36 are those two men. John is a world-famous leader, and Shane is my pastor. John and Shane are both anointed and influential.
Recently Shane has been teaching on a series entitled “Breakthrough.” John teaches daily on the topic of leadership during a “Minute with Maxwell.” Each of their teachings had something to do with me being inspired to write this piece.
“Unbridled is the opposite of bridled,” John said in one of his Minutes. I often think of bridled or bridles regarding the horse that I rode in the Big Horns of Wyoming for a week a few years ago. His name was Elliott, and he needed that bridle and a bit in the mouth. Otherwise, Elliott would have gone exactly where he wanted, which rarely was where I wanted him to go. Being unbridled is just that, going where you want to go. If Elliott were unbridled, the cattle that we were driving would likely still be on the trail on the way to the upper pasture some 7 miles away. And those not on the path would have been scattered across the hilltops where Elliott was not inclined to journey.
We all require a harness from time to time to make sure we stay the course prescribed to attain the outcomes desired. However, that does not mean that we exact stifling. I did not choke Elliott during that ride, but I did guide him in the direction that we needed to travel. Otherwise, we would not have climbed to the top of a ridge to round up some stray or pursued others who had turned and headed in the opposite direction of the cattle drive.
When we began the ride that day, I fully expected that we would complete the mission of moving 200 or so cattle into the upper pasture several miles away and return before dark that evening. When we began the ride, our Wrangler instructed us with general guidelines and then said, “Head em up and move em out!” We were virtually unbridled to figure it out from that time forward.
The feeling of freedom in the magnificent western mountains in the saddle atop an old cow pony is hard to describe outside of the word “incredible.” And although this greenhorn was in pain most of the ride from bouncing in the saddle, I still consider it one of the most exhilarating and rewarding experiences of my life. I felt empowered riding on my large horse as we moved stubborn cattle along the mountain trail. I felt free from the sometimes-stifling rules and regulations of corporate America. And though I was very uncomfortable physically I felt utterly stress-free because, though I didn’t know what to expect over each ridge or around each bend in the trail, I did not doubt that we would complete our task.
In the context of being in business, being a parent, being in a relationship or being alone, the Elliott ride makes a great deal of sense. As a manager, I must ask myself if I am leading without a bridle and bit or am I smothering and stifling my team’s individuality, creativity and inspiration to innovate. As a parent, am I hovering or interfering or allowing my children to make some mistakes and learn from those experiences. In a relationship of any kind am I selfish, demanding, smothering or unloving? And when alone, do I allow myself to be unbridled in my thoughts and healthy activities so to feel free, creative, stress-free and able just to be “me”?
We all know people, and sometimes that may even be us, who are stifled by life and living beyond healthy boundaries in destructive ditches or entirely off trail. And many of us today may be working in an environment where individuality, creativity, and empowerment are either merely words or words never spoken.
Consider my cattle drive experience for a moment. I never doubted that I would be able to finish that ride and that we would be successful at moving the herd to the new pasture. Keeping my eye on that sure thing allowed me to feel free about how I managed to get there and ignore the discomfort I felt during the ride. It is very much like what Pastor Shane said about prayer. Believe what you pray, and it will have already happened. That is unbridled thinking! Why not?