My Own Sword (as seen in Today's Horse Magazine - June & July issues)

My Own Sword

By Cheyenne Glade Wilson

May 2018

Jim Rohn said, “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” Have you heard this before? Sit down for a minute and really think about it. Does it resonate with you also? I find a lot of truth in those words for many reasons.

At one time in my life I was not where I wanted to be physically, mentally, spiritually, or financially. I desired change, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to achieve it. As fate would have it I failed many times to accomplish this, but I failed forward. Failure at some things is inevitable, but it’s not really a failure unless you quit trying. Reliving those failures also gets you nowhere. I have never spent a lot of time looking into the past. It’s behind me for a reason. I spend my efforts working on the constant goals I set for myself. I have been on a journey of self-discovery and growth over the last 3 years and it’s been the most amazing journey!

This journey has also been full of surprises. So many of these surprises have been wonderful, but not all of them have been. One of the quickest things I discovered was the lack of support I received from those whom I considered close to me. It was hurtful and shocking in the beginning, but as I shared my discovery with my mentors I quickly learned that I wasn’t alone in this department. How disappointing! However, I wasn’t going to let the opinions of others determine my success. I was on a journey with a mission that only I could see and that was okay. So, I learned how to don my armor every morning to ward off naysayers and I set out to better myself. I learned to focus on positive sayings that would back up my mission. One that comes to mind is: When you have a million-dollar vision, don’t surround yourself with one cent minds. Another is: Five types of people you want to surround yourself with are the inspired, the passionate, the motivated, the grateful, and the open-minded. One last one appropriate to this topic is: Know your circle. Make sure everyone in your “boat” is rowing and not drilling holes when you aren’t looking.

So back to the opening quote. Who are the five people that you spend the most time with? I believe this warrants close attention because those folks really do affect us. Something I have witnessed on this journey is the amount of “friends” who slipped away. The sad fact is we aren’t on the same mission because if we were we would still be close. Times change as do people. It’s not a stab at them. It’s just a fact. I no longer listen to rumors, back-stabbing, gossip, sob-stories, neutral or negative comments. I absolutely don’t make time for that. The people that I surround myself with now are truly on a mission to change the world beginning with themselves. We focus on positivity, activity, gratitude, kindness, and brainstorming on how to improve ourselves in all areas. It’s not for the faint of heart and some days are quite challenging, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever known. There is no room for mediocrity. None of us were born for that so it’s time to challenge yourself to step in that light. Ready?

In order to get rid of the less appealing things in your life you must work incessantly on your mindset. The power of the mind is an amazing thing. The word Abracadabra is actually a Hebrew phrase meaning “I create what I speak.” Did you know that? So, in my opinion, it’s not magic…it’s your mind in its full power creating what you desire. I believe this from personal experience. If you say you “can’t” do something you are right…you can’t. But if you change the word to “can” everything changes. Words are incredibly powerful, and they are all formed in the mind. You don’t even have to speak them out loud. The words you think have amazing power also. When I work with someone on mindset we first focus on changing negative personal thoughts and then go from there. It’s not hard, but it does take complete focus and the want to change this about oneself. If it’s to be it’s up to me. I say this a lot to myself to remind myself that I can do anything I set my mind to and to also remind myself that nobody else will do it for me. There is power in the truth and this is one of the biggest truths in life.

As a woman in this world I never wanted a prince on a white horse to rescue me. I just wanted my own sword. I wanted to grow into a self-sufficient woman who wasn’t helpless. I wanted to be help others and instill hope those who had lost their way. I once lost my way, so I know what it’s like. The beauty of this life is that at any time we can decide to change/recreate ourselves. That’s such a wonderful refreshing thought and it’s so true! Big changes start with small steps. You also must desire change more than anything and it must be your idea. When you want something badly enough you are willing to go to the greatest depths to get it. This pertains to everything in life. I’ve heard it referred to as going “All In”. Are you “All In” or are you letting others determine your path in this world? It’s truly a simple question just for you. I know at times in my life I wasn’t entirely on the path that I desired. I wasn’t really living I was just sort of surviving. I look back on those times and I realize the people I was surrounding myself with were not good for me. So, I changed…just like that…and you can too!

As far as the five people you are surrounding yourself with the most. They don’t have to actually be around you physically. I live in a very rural place and for the most part my husband and son are the only physical human beings around me on a daily basis. However, that doesn’t hold me back. I have a YouTube account and lots of audio books. I also read a lot. I absolutely love typing in “motivation”, “leadership”, “mindset”, or “girl power”, etc. into Google and seeing what comes up. I also stay tuned into my mentors. We chat almost daily via messenger, text, or the phone. It’s amazing to be on this journey with other like-minded individuals who “get it”. We are there for each other in all times (up or down). We understand this journey and we also understand the importance of each person walking with us.

I hope that what I’ve written touched you. Perhaps you found yourself mirrored in my words and maybe you didn’t. At any rate, I have a message for all of you reading this. We only get one life to life. If you do it right once will be enough. So, grab the reins of your life and ride it like you stole it. At the end of the ride you will look back and think “I’m glad I did” instead of “I wish I would have”. That alone is worth everything!