Fear is an interesting thing. We need it because it's what stops us from walking out in front of cars, walking over the edge of cliffs, crashing into each other on the road. But when I break my fears down, they are based on so much more than the fact that I might hurt myself. My biggest fear is that of the unknown.
How insane is that? Because I can't know everything. I don't have a crystal ball. Nor would I want one. How boring would life be if you knew what was going to happen everyday before it happened? And yet here I am, trying to predict the future so that I know what to do next. I crunched some numbers the other day. If we were to find money for the land from another source that wasn't raised by events we'd still be looking at 200k for the facilities. If you break that down over two years, that's 8k a month we need to raise in order to achieve our goals. I don't know how to do that - yet. And does that scare me? Hell yes! Mainly because I can't bear the thought of not running camps for two years! So may be we should extend the time to three years or four years, we could generate 2k a month if we do enough. But that seems such a long time!!! Four years without camps?? The thing about time guys, is it passes anyway and if I'd have know five years ago that we'd be in this position instead of 5 months ago, I could have been putting things in place back then. That five years came and went and we all enjoyed what we had in the moment without ever really expecting it to end. There is a great book called Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson. It's about two mice, one who expects his cheese to just keep coming and the other who realises it's running out. Well worth a read if you want to figure out how to deal with changes in your life. I think I should have read it again five years ago because clearly I'd forgotten some of it's lessons! The way I actually see things happening is that a few of us get together, we hold some fab events, we have some fun together and the momentum grows. We set a target of say £4k for each month at first and miss it by a mile until one day we hit it! Then we make it higher, raise it to 6k and again we hit it because now we know it's working. Think of the Blue Peter challenges where they used to have the thermometer like measure of what target they'd smashed this week! Can you imagine being part of something that achieves so much? Can you see what you would learn to do? How your believe in yourself would grow and change if you came along for the ride? Imagine being responsible for running an event that raised £918! Well Natalie Tindall can tell us, because she did just that! Imagine creating a reel or an Instagram post that went viral and you were the one who made it? You see when someone knows how to do something it takes them five minutes when they don't it takes hours. It also takes courage. Nat had run an event like that before so she had some experience. I have never run events as simple as a Quiz night or a Bingo evening. I've created a total of one reel and Instagram baffles me. So now we go back to the fear... False Evidence Appearing Real Because I have never run these things, I can't possibly have any fear about them because I don't know what will happen and my mind when it's scared, which isn't often I confess, goes into negative over thinking mode. If I let my mind wander, it goes into the world of 'What if!' But I know how damaging that can be. What if I'd never run my first camp?? Arrrggghhh! Nooooo! Over the years, I have trained myself to control my thoughts and feelings. To control my mind and the words that I use when I'm talking to myself. I'm not so great when it comes to talking to other people, my mouth speak before my brain has had chance to catch the words! And the what if become -What if this event is amazing. What if it's the first of hundreds? What if someone makes a new friend for life at a Bingo night or wins a prize that makes them really happy? What if the event is so good, that people can't wait for the next one? And if it's not, we'll make it that way! Fear is baby steps, doing small events and then getting bigger. Think of it as jumping that first 50cm fence, you do it on repeat for a couple of days then you get a bit bored and you want to go higher. Soon 60cm becomes easy, then 70cm and each time you smash one goal, you celebrate like crazy then you move on to the next goal. Everything starts with an idea, then the foundations of the idea have to be built. Eventually the fabric of the idea takes shape and suddenly you are standing in your own idea of paradise that once seems like the most scary, crazy, overly ambitious thing to do ever! Imagine standing in a beautiful stable block, horses all munching away happily, surrounded by lots of campers all excited for the next few days of bonding with their horses with like minded people - knowing that your efforts made that happen. Can you see yourself riding on an amazing school surface and popping brand new show jumps? Thinking, we made this happen! And all you did was something you already love doing for an event or two raised that raised the money for these shiny newly fenced sand schools! I know I can do this, even though I don't know how quite yet. But I knew I could make my livery yards happen, I knew I could rescue all of the horses I have, I knew I could create and run my riding school and I know I could make camps happen. These were my baby step on my journey to creating The Camp Space. I have no fear about whether we can or not. I have no fear about putting on events that I've never done before. But I am terrified of not being able to run camps because they make life so much better for so many people and I don't want us to lose them. Sometimes to get over fear you have to look at the big picture to make the little things seem less scary. So lets start small and build momentum. Let's see if we can reach crazy targets and crazy heights. And for now, can I ask you to take the smallest baby step ever? Can you share this blog please? We need to create a huge community and if shares leads somewhere, we will get there. To send financial support got to https://gofund.me/e7c009e0 To buy merchandise go to cardoniantees.co.uk To offer support with an event, social media or web building message [email protected]
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I think it’s safe to say that when it comes to technology, I get easily frustrated and seem to apply my usual stubborn streak of refusing to follow rules, even if they’re meant to help me! And as a result, the new website to support our Camp Space has been an utter failure! Can anyone help? It needs to look better, show up on Google, have better descriptions, and maybe even better products. I have enrolled on a digital marketing course for 9 weeks with Digital Penisular Network, a free online but live course, every Tuesday. There are still spaces if anyone wants to join me. But please know I’m trying! (some say very, but that’s a different story) But, I have concluded that there is so much to do to bring this project to life, that there is absolutely no way I can do it on my own and therefore the theme of this year is growth and development, not just of this Camp Space, but also personal growth. Asking for help is one of those things I find very hard to do but something I have had to learn to do over and over again this year. And boy have you guys come through! I am so very grateful and feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people. I feel we need to make some reels and possibly a YouTube channel, I definitely need an Instagram page too. We also need to create a campaign that Pirate FM, Radio Cornwall, The Western Morning News, etc would all be interested in because, at some point early this year, we are going to run a Crowd Funding Campaign. Other than creating an amazing camp space for everyone to use, what would be the benefits of you helping out? Truthfully, I don’t know, because I’d like it to be of mutual benefit, and until you’re on board, I don’t know what you need. I have great planning and organisational skills, I know a lot of horsey people and a lot of stuff about horses. Without a doubt you would learn how to build a new venture from scratch at no cost other than your time, something I’ve done countless times and you’d be involved in fundraising events (aka great nights out!) and media campaigns that would give you contacts for the future too. Some of the fundraising events we’re having will be held at the Meadery in Penzance which is owned by the lovely Emily Smith, fellow horse owner and camp supporter! Although nothing is set in stone, we’ve got quiz nights, race nights, talks, Bingo and Beetle Drives planned and I’m hoping to do a 60’s Themed night and an 80’s night too, so you will gain experience in event organisation too which is a highly paid skill and can lead to all kinds of trips and adventures. At the heart of it though your passion will most likely be that you want the camps to continue, that you want a space that The Riding Clubs, The Pony Clubs, and Equestrian Camps can share. Pony club camp is the highlight of many a horsey child’s summer and creates memories that shape their life. Our camps have brought so many like-minded people together, created lifelong friendships, and proved that the horse world does not have to be a toxic environment. We are all on the same journey, we’re just at different stages of it. I’m also planning on having two open days this year entitled A Celebration of Horsemanship where we have demos and displays from top dressage rider, Jane Lavington, there will be introductions to different training methods, a shetland derby for fun, various talks by different companies who will have stalls there so that you can get great hands-on advice. We haven’t decided on a venue yet, but I’m working on that. Does anyone have any other ideas? What would you guys like to see? How can we be of service to you all on this quest, what will help you to support us? This year my goals are bigger and scarier than they’ve ever been before. I have set the bar high! It’s not unusual for me to run several businesses at once, but I’ve never had to start up so many in such a short space of time and run a campaign for a new venue for Camps! I confess the thought of living in my van when it’s been raining the way it has is less appealing but I am also excited about that. Honestly though, without your support guys, this year could fall flat on its face. The tiniest contribution whether it be time, money, contacts, video editing, Instagram posting, or even being interviewed for the YouTube channel, will all make a difference. And I guess if no one wants to help out then the need for the Camp Space is null and void anyway, which is exactly why I wanted to raise the money this way…I’ll explain more about that in the next blog post. If you can help, please Whatsapp me on 07761574793, and don’t forget to give me your name as it won’t show up! For now, I wish you a Happy New Year, I hope that all of your dreams, wishes, and goals come true. Can’t wait to get together with you all in some capacity soon! WTF just happened? And why am I happier than ever?It’s hard to say where everything started to make me think that changes were afoot, let’s face it, the world has been in a bit of turmoil since Covid, but actually, things worked out ok until 2022. August 2022 to be exact and nothing I can attribute to the pandemic. However, January 2023 found me writing a business plan, the first words of which were ‘I feel that within the next five years, we will be losing our current venue for camps…’ As it turned out, it was 5 months later when I received that news. They say that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, well I’ve been out of mine since May and life could not be better.
Now whilst devastated I was also dealing with an injury that I was, at the time, unaware it would change the course of my life. It’s funny how when you need to learn something or listen, things will come up to remind you again and again. Sometimes the messages are subtle and easy to ignore. Sometimes they hit you like a 600lb race horse crossing the finish line and leave you flat on the floor, dazed, confused and reeling. The second half of 2022 was like that. I lost my mare. I had a major falling out with a good friend and a couple of minor ones too! I was betrayed by someone whom I trusted, whom I’d given a lot of time and energy to, which led to the destruction of one of my businesses. And then I hurt myself, (same leg that I was then to damage in May) getting off a horse. All of these messages were telling me to get out of the situation I was in. You see I’d got a little complacent. My life was perfect in so many ways and then at the beginning of ‘23 I decided I needed to increase my income because there was never any money left over to put towards the future. I can earn money, but I can also spend it too. With 10 horses, it’s not hard! I laid down a plan to double the amount of people I could be of service to and instead of everything getting better, I then had an accident whilst I was getting on one of my horses. Seven months on, my leg is still not working properly. All three of my businesses have collapsed and I have no income. Yet I am happier than I have ever been. You see, at the time I couldn’t see it, but now I know that I needed to recalibrate. I needed to STOP. All of my life, I’ve been on a treadmill. I’m a workaholic and just need to do more, work more, sleep less, keep running faster and faster towards the end goal! But being confined to my bed for eight weeks, unable to walk or drive, I realised that although I had achieved some pretty amazing things, I was getting nowhere. And as all my businesses failed I started to see how actually, for me to be able chase this big goal, to become the highest version of myself possible, old patterns had to be broken. The truth was, it was impossible to increase the amount of people I could help whilst running camps from Chyverton, or helping people with their problem horses or sharing my horses with other people through the Riding Pool. Every business had a finite number because there were only so many people we could have on camp and only so many dates we could use. The place stood empty all winter and it drove me mad because I could see the potential of what we could do - but it wasn’t mine to do it with. And teaching one-to-one is great, until you can’t walk, never mind handle a problem horse! And the Riding Pool? Well, there are only so many horses I can keep for other people to share and when that business is destroyed, you’re left with horses that you know you will never part with but no income to keep them. Great lifestyle business but a million miles away from the life plan I started to formulate at the age of seven. I’ve heard many people say that they don’t know what their purpose is or how to find it. I can help you with that, because I am a serial purpose finder. My overarching life’s purpose is to help others, horses & humans mainly and in that order. But it’s also to facilitate connection and learning. Apparently, I have ADHD and dyslexia. Both of these things, if I chose to accept the labels, I consider to be superpowers. My mind is constantly problem-solving, coming up with ideas and making them happen. I have a lot of energy and an ability to juggle all kinds of things at once, focus for hours, learn quickly and find ways to achieve anything I want to. IF I apply it. Somewhere, around year five of running camps, I forgot to apply it. Losing Bicton as a venue wasn’t great. During the pandemic I went into survival mode because we were just grateful to keep going. Developing the business was no longer a priority and I had Covid three times, which affected me quite badly every time. But that was then and this is NOW! We might have no venue for 2024 - yet! But rest assured I have been working hard behind the scenes, formulating a plan, working on myself to make sure that I have all of the right tools and attitude in place, building my mind set to be stronger than ever! And I am excited for the future! So excited! I’ve not felt this good in years and folks, I’m taking you all with me. We’re going to build this Camp Space for us all to share and in the next blog, I’m going to tell you how… Hey folks, thank you for being here! Chances are that you ended up here by accident because I have zero idea what I’m doing, but that is entirely the point. I have watched a lot of Mark Tilbury videos and seen others being able to make online sales work, but these guys are always ranking high because they’ve already become successful. And if I’m honest, I watch their ‘I can sell you a course on how to do this’ video, and I’m a little disheartened. I want to know where it all started! It’s amazing that they’re now rolling in it, but what it doesn’t tell me is how it got off the ground, how easy it was, how long it took! I then feel like I’m a bit of a failure, inadequate, too old, too fat- you name it, I’ll find an excuse. ]
But thanks to various podcasts I listen to, I know this is totally possible so I am going to journey, and give you the raw, uncut, highs and lows of building an online business from scratch to raise money for a Community Interest Company and as a private business to build an income. If I succeed, then so should everyone else, because every time I walk through the door of an educational institution, they give me another label! Dyslexia, ADHD, and Bi-Polar all undiagnosed officially but these experts were convinced, and initial tests may have given the game away too. But I’ve made it this far - I’m pretty ancient, I was born in ‘69 - with all of these superpowers and I’ve used everyone to my advantage! If I can, you can. No matter what your status because what I’ve learned is that the only person standing in your way of doing anything you want to in life is yourself! Bummer eh? But true. So join me on the rocky road to success, which actually starts with how freaking hard it has been to set this website up on a very old and slow laptop! |
AuthorHey Folks, I'm Lorraine and the picture is of one of my horses Tara - in our office! I really am the luckiest person alive to get to do what I do. Archives
January 2024
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