Dear Roper,

It’s the time of the summer where you’re either hot or you’re not, am I right? Let me tell ya—my mental game has not been where I’d like it lately. But I’m a little lucky in that I get the awesome privilege of being able to pick up the phone and have the best in the world help me get my mind right, even if they don’t know that my article questions are more for myself than our readers. 

I needed to catch up with WPRA World Champion Lari Dee Guy this month for a few online tidbits, and I asked her what she does when she feels like she’s trying too hard—my current problem. What she said was so valuable, I figured I’d share it with you all here:

“You cannot be outcome driven. You have got to be process driven. Whatever you do, you have to do what you’re doing for the moment right then and there. You can’t worry about what you’re going to do. I read once that fear only exists in the past and in the future. Fear does not exist in the present moment. All of the anxiety is about what is going to happen or what has happened before. Don’t let yourself think that one thing is going to make or break you. Stress to me is because I get to think about having to make it or having to win. With my good horse hurt, I’ve been riding one at the rodeos that I run through the barrier before I even go there. Every one of them that I’ve rode lately is green. I’ve been just in a bind. But, once I just let myself be OK with this part of the process, that this is where I need to be right now, I find peace. I actually placed at the very first place I took my young horse. The lesson is: As long as you don’t let yourself get so worked up or attach anything to what you’re doing—you can’t attach what you do to the outcome—you’ll be able to accept the process.”

You’ll be able to hear more with Lari Dee in the coming months on The Score podcast, and her friend Trevor Brazile’s column is jam-up again this month on page 62. They must have been on the same wavelength, because he said about the same thing in a different way in response to a reader having problems with his head horse.

Anyway, I’m glad you’ve taken the time to read this, and I sure hope you enjoy the mix of content we’ve put together for you for this August issue. Slump or not, I bet we’ve got something to up your game.

– Chelsea Shaffer