Being Grateful and Achieving Your Goals
by Karen Pickering
I struggle some days with what the ideal life looks like. Right now it would be less stress, make everyone happy, make time to ride my horse every day, be fit, be financially set, time to draw and be creative as well as publish this magazine. I have control over everything but making others happy.
I think gratitude is a big part of the ideal life, as is a generous spirit. Financially speaking, it’s about being satisfied with what I have. I’ve discovered happiness does not come from how much cushion is in the bank and often times more “stuff” just adds pressure. I struggle constantly with wanting more and being content with what I have.
Despite my excuses, the reality is that I could ride my horse more often than I do; I simply need to schedule it. I could also take time to be creative as well as get fit if I made these things priorities. I used to draw and enjoy it tremendously. As for exercise, getting up an hour earlier would be the solution. Both drawing and exercise would energize me and provide an outlet for stress.
I do get to publish…It’s not easy or glamorous, but it’s very satisfying. Our world is full of distractions and things to manage. I would love to be very organized and on top of everything, but I think that rarely happens. What is necessary is to define what is important, what you want, and then develop a plan. If you don’t know what you want it’s pretty hard to achieve any goals.
I would love to hear your thoughts on an ideal life. Do you know what you want? Would you take a moment and email me? [email protected].
Finally our cover story is about Mission Farrier School and two people—Mark and Karen Plumlee—who have crafted a pretty cool life. I hope they are an inspiration.
Today’s Quote:
“Don’t wait around for your life to happen to you. Find something that makes you happy and do it. Everything else is just background noise.”
~George Mason
Publiished February 2013 Issue
Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages. Now 29 years later, it’s an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses!
Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.
