“When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.” ~Dakota tribal saying.

I came upon this statement today and thought about its simplicity and logic.

I nodded my head in agreement with this straightforward decision. Then I realized that even though it is logical and simplistic, dismounting is quite difficult.

I wondered why it may be hard for many of us to get off our dead horse. It seems to me we are prone to cling to and preserve whatever exists because we have no experience in any other position.

I am not sure if it’s the sense of comfort with the old, or plain old fear. For many of us, change is difficult.

There is resistance to doing what makes the most sense because it may be scary and sometimes uncharted territory portends danger.

How often do we praise the trait of perseverance and point to the supposed inherent virtue of it? I have found there is a point where perseverance becomes a liability instead of an asset.

The point where this line is crossed is when we keep doing something that reaps no rewards. We repeat the same mistakes and nothing changes. The passion fades, yet we persist.

This is when a drastic move may be in order. When it’s time to get down off your dead horse.

Let’s think about how we may feel impelled to encourage our children to keep on persevering when we may help them more by guiding them in releasing what isn’t working.

If we find no satisfaction or joy, isn’t it best to shift our intentions?

Society often lacks admiration for those who change course, but changing course may be admirable and wise.

When something isn’t working, despite multiple attempts to make it work, it is worth considering releasing and adjusting. It is worth dismounting our dead horse.

We get a new perspective when we dismount.

I imagine there is some area of your life where a dismount is worth consideration. I know there is in mine.