How high-performing entrepreneurs enliven their emotions and body sensations to make hard decisions

Often when high-performing entrepreneurs need to make hard decisions, they unknowingly shut down their bodies’ sense of knowing and utilize only their minds. They tend to analyze, categorize, reason, consider, plan, deduce, and sort through the pros and cons of that decision. As a result, they may feel limited, stuck, or even unable to make a new or bold decision because their minds tend to be constantly busy, holding onto old beliefs and patterns that shut down their sense of inner knowing. 

They are not alone. As a society, we are taught very young not to be too emotional and not accept or recognize our body’s ways of knowing. We lose our ability to connect with our true selves and often ignore our bodies’ sensations and emotions which help us be more authentic in our discernment. 

If there is one growth hack that can reconnect high-performing entrepreneurs with their bodies’ knowledge, it is working with horses. Evidence shows that horses can help humans develop deeper levels of self-awareness and advance their emotional intelligence. 

Horses are fully awakened in their own bodies’ knowing because that is the only way they survive. Horses have a unique ability to communicate and “know” through felt perception with their bodies. This is called “embodied knowing,” and when they connect with humans, they can teach us to do the same. 

Horses assist in creating “embodied knowing”

Horses are excellent mirrors. They reflect our bodies’ sensations just by the way they interact with us. Research shows that the behavior and heart rate of horses changes in response to a human’s heart rate. A horse can stand opposite a human who is full of fear and anxiety. That horse is going to keep their distance. Alternatively, if the human standing in front of the horse is warm, open, and engaging, the horse will naturally come up to the person, walk beside them, or even nuzzle them. 

This is how horses teach high-achieving entrepreneurs to connect to their sensations; by reflecting those sensations back to them in real-time with no judgment. High achieving entrepreneurs can start noticing the connection between those emotions to any sensations that show up when they are making challenging decisions. These emotions then become the guide.

When clients work with the horses, we often ask them to contemplate the decision they would like to make, playing with all sides of the scenario. In doing so, the body automatically responds to different potential solutions with the subtlest of indicators that the client may not even notice. It could feel like fear, anxiety, passion, excitement, etc., on the inside, but the mind may hinder the ability to actually feel. This is when we closely observe the horses and how they begin to interact and behave. 

It is the horses’ ability to mirror that helps high-achieving entrepreneurs eliminate beliefs and open up to acting from a place of truth and authenticity. They can speak from their heart and do what their heart most deeply desires based on the feedback they are receiving. Working with horses gives them a chance to learn how to be genuinely embodied and connected to their deepest knowing. They can focus on what is happening in the present and create a deeper connection with their inner wisdom. 

Horses provide instant heart-opening feedback

Horses’ hearts are five times larger than a human’s heart. When working with a horse, high achieving entrepreneurs can feel an expansion in their own hearts’ energetic electromagnetic field, magnetizing all their emotions and sensations. 

Oftentimes, before high achieving entrepreneurs work with the horses, they have had a continuous pattern of shutting down any access to their bodies’ intelligence. But, when they get around the horses, they can’t do anything but to connect to their bodies in that moment. The horse is essentially a biofeedback teacher, amplifying those parts of themselves that they may have disconnected from and allowing them to drive towards decisions that are in true alignment with their souls. They tend to be less preoccupied with strategizing their way around the decision and just drop in and feel. 

This connection to their feelings allows them to speak from their hearts and honor what is it they truly desire. Oftentimes, when high-achieving entrepreneurs have gotten used to relying on their intellect, they can tap into limiting beliefs and patterns that keep them from going in the direction of their truth. They may experience a disconnect between what they are doing and how they feel. Working with horses eliminates that incongruence, and they release these beliefs that have been standing in the way of their authenticity. 

Emotions really matter when making authentic decisions

Ultimately, working with horses teaches high-achieving entrepreneurs that the “soft” stuff really matters. Horses need to trust their instincts in order to survive. Similar to us, in order to be an effective leader in business, high-achieving entrepreneurs need to be able to tap into their instincts and notice these incongruencies keeping them from accelerating forward. The mind can always override our instincts, furthering these incongruencies and keeping us from being authentic and acting in our truth. 

The moment high achieving entrepreneurs work with horses, they start to understand that getting clear on their congruence allows them to lead better in their businesses, build better relationships with their employees, and, most importantly, build better relationships with themselves. Therefore, the next time they don’t know what to do, they can begin to notice the shifts within themselves and listen to their instincts and their emotions to make the best decisions that drive growth.