I am currently reading The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene. It’s a very in-depth look at how we behave the way we do and why. It’s incredibly interesting and also a bit unsettling—we aren’t all that we believe we are cracked up to be! 

Greene shared a metaphor that I found so interesting. He talks about the horse and the rider—together they are a rather solid combo, right? But when they are apart, they aren’t nearly as powerful. Without the horse, there is no power or energy, but without the rider, there is no directed movement or purpose. 

Greene’s purpose for sharing this was to help us separate our emotions from our rational thought. Today, I simply wanted to share this visual so we have some context on how our emotions drive our behavior (think runaway horse, no rider). If you’re currently being driven by an emotion like anger, fear, frustration, resentment, jealousy, etc., stop and notice your horse has no rider. There’s so much more to Greene’s work, but suffice it to say, if we can pull back for a second, put the rider back on the horse, and reassess, we will hopefully find a place of balance between emotions and rational thought. Together, the horse and the rider are a beautiful combo!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth