Desire is one of the most important traits to possess for effective learning. How bad do you want what you initially set out for? This trait motivates us to keep going when presented with difficulty while we learn and work on improvement. As everyone is presented with different opportunities, what will each individual receive or make out of their particular situation? Our attitude and perspective influences our choices.

Things don’t always work out as we might first envision. Ask yourself, “can I learn from or build on this experience?” Assuming there is a desire to be the best possible in relation to one’s abilities, realize it will take dedicated effort and time to improve and excel. This may consist of both short- and long-term goals. Our world today compels many to want things faster, yet they don’t want to put in the effort and time necessary. Often this may be because they don’t have something to aim for or work toward.

Therefore, it is crucial to set goals and prepare for achieving them. That latter part is important to remember. We may imagine achieving, but fail to recognize the commitment and amount of work involved in achieving it. By initially understanding what goes in, we then can understand how to better prepare.

A helpful resource in preparation and pursuit of a goal is mentors. The correct mentor will be where you want to reach. Through their own experiences, they have traveled the road that you are just beginning. Mentors have a knowledge base and are able to communicate that experience and knowledge effectively. They provide motivation to keep us going, but can deliver insightful critique in a helpful way, pointing out the need for improvement and getting back on track.

Let’s examine the student in the farrier school setting. Most students have a fresh perspective as they are exposed to principles and techniques for the first time. It is exciting to watch a student’s eagerness and enthusiasm as they try something and then recognize it takes a little while to develop the foundations of that skill. The level of their commitment is tested when that realization hits, recognizing they are not going to get this as quickly as they possibly thought.

Like the student, the feeling of an obstacle in the pathway to our goal can quickly test us all. I recommend building a schedule for study and pursuing opportunities to use what you are learning to overcome perceived obstacles.

Often the perspective can come as one may ask after receiving some critique “…but it is good enough, right?” They are asking for justification; defending what they probably did not mean to do. Whereas the perspective and attitude should be, “What can I do better?” There is a sense of satisfaction when a student recognizes what they could do better as they evaluate/analyze their own work. They can work through a mental checklist of what they did do or didn’t do. These individuals will continue to excel because they are thinking about it and holding themselves accountable.

Another scenario is when an individual seems to have talent or great potential. They really could do anything but have no desire to nurture or develop that skill area. As a teacher observes this, it can be disheartening realizing the full potential that remains untouched. It is important to be honest with ourselves, not to take any shortcuts as we commit to the finish from the beginning. Are we taking advantage of the opportunities?

Stephen King’s book On Writing shares a story about his son Owen, who heard musician Clarence Clemons play the saxophone and knew that he wanted to play like that. So King and his wife indulged him and bought Owen a saxophone and paid for lessons. After 7 months the parents suggested maybe it was time to stop since Owen would only practice during the periods the teacher had set up for him.

“Owen mastered the scales and the notes — nothing wrong with his memory, his lungs or his eye-hand coordination, but we never heard him take off, surprising himself with something new, blissing himself out. And as soon as his practice time was over, it was back into the case with the horn, and there it stayed until the next lesson or practice-time.

“What this suggested to me was that when it came to the sax and my son, there was never going to be any real play-time; it was all going to be rehearsal. That’s no good. If there’s no joy in it, it’s just not good. It’s best to go on to some other area, where the deposits of talent may be richer and the fun quotient higher.”

This passage solidifies the idea of being honest with ourselves as farriers. Does the work give you joy? So much joy that you will break through those obstacles and reach your full potential?

If so, we need a way to measure where we are and what could be better. Write and keep present a list that you can check off what was done correctly or what needs more attention next time. It is important to recognize each shoe or job isn’t perfect. None will ever be perfect. You need to ask what can you learn and strive to do better the next time. Hold yourself accountable, not justifying your performance due to factors that you have no control over, by not defending something that could be better.

Set a date that you want to achieve the individual steps and goal by. If you don’t there always will be something else that will be more important. The date will motivate you to schedule time to work toward the goal.

After these suggestions and strategies are started, they can be designed for each skill level.

Read more from Jacob Butler in "Reach Your Full Potential Through Continuing Education" in the May/June 2017 issue of American Farriers Journal.