The commitment that people make within themselves is the first step to become an owner because ownership can’t be forced.

Ownership can’t be forced. You have to decide to take ownership.

The same is true with animals. Horses never learn if you force them against their will. You have to create experiential   learning opportunities where they can own the lesson.

For example, you can’t force a horse to cross a river. If a horse has never seen a river before, it will naturally hesitate when you approach the water. If you yell and force him to cross he will associate the river with his fear. If you continue to fight him every time he stays back, the horse will never cross the river on his own.

Horses shy away when they are scared.  Many grazing animals are like that—their first instinct is to run from potential predators. But once a deer feels safe, it will stop running and try to figure you out.

So, don’t push your horse when he hesitates. Instead, gently nudge him forward. Give him time to realize that the river won’t hurt him. When his body relaxes, you can urge him forward a couple more steps. When he feels safe, his curiosity will eventually take over and he will cross on his own. This horse won’t be scared the next time you come across a river. He has owned the experience that rivers can be crossed safely.

The same is with vision and principles, they cannot be forced, but have to be owned through experience.  You have to make the commitment yourselves.

One takes ownership of God’s ideals not because one has to, but because one wants to.

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I know that it takes a transformational experience to own the principle of living for the sake of humanity. Thus, I am always seeking for ways to create opportunities for experiential learning.

We obtain knowledge through experience.

Why does a child touch a burning match even though he is told not to? It is because the truth a parent tells their son doesn’t belong to the child until he experiences it for himself.

Children want to learn everything. They ask, “What is this? What is that?” But it takes experience for them to own knowledge. I once showed my daughter how to draw something; immediately she wanted to do it herself. This is how our children learn. They take ownership through experience.

It is more so with the most important truths. Just because we tell them, children will not understand that that the most meaningful life is a life lived for others. They have to earn their convictions through defining experiences, just like the child who burned his finger.

This is why all my education is experience-based:  whether it is in my family, in leadership training programs, or service projects. I know that it takes a transformational experience to own the principle of living for the sake of humanity. Thus, I am always seeking for ways to create opportunities for experiential learning.

Furthermore, as a parent, I know that my example provides living guidance and nourishment to my children as they venture out to gain the experiences that enable them to own the greatest vision, principles and values. Thus, I too relish each experience as an opportunity to learn and own the principles and values of one family under God.

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Many lessons about leadership can be learned from horseback riding.

I have been riding horses since I was a young boy, and I continue to learn many profound lessons from horseback riding.

Recently I’ve had some time to ride horses with my children. Here are two lessons on leadership that we learned.

You can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to your horse. A horse can immediately sense your uncertainty and fear. To ride a horse the horse must acknowledges that you are in charge. A horse is an animal of hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds of solid muscle. The only reason why it would allow a 100-200 pound person to control it is if it recognizes your authority. But that certainty doesn’t come from physical size or force, it comes from your spirit. If the rider’s mind is unsettled, even simple exercise become major ordeals. Thus, it is important for a rider to know his mind and keep it stable. No matter how you pretend, your horse can see right through you. Your spirit influences how well you can ride. If a horse can’t respect you, if it can’t trust you, it will not allow you to lead.

There are no shortcuts to becoming a good rider. It takes patience and sincere investment into yourself and your relationship with your horse. To be a good rider, you have to genuinely care about your horse and be certain of yourself and the direction in which you are leading. Only then can you and the horse become one. It is the same with people. There are no shortcuts to leadership. You can pretend to lead, but in the end, only genuine people of character and vision can really move people’s hearts.

We should expose ourselves and our children to such first-hand, experiential learning opportunities with nature. These experiences teach not just our minds, but our body and soul the principles of the universe.

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