{"id":317,"date":"2025-08-07T20:01:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T20:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacklieser.com\/?p=317"},"modified":"2025-08-07T20:01:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T20:01:41","slug":"create-the-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacklieser.com\/?p=317","title":{"rendered":"Create the Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Create the Joy: A Lesson from the Garden, the Horse, and Everyday Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, I went to a homesteading conference, and one of the speakers said something that landed deep for me. He was talking about gardening\u2014how to get started and what pitfalls to avoid as a beginner. He had a list of tips and things to steer clear of, but one piece of advice stood out above the rest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quit while you still have joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to have big, grand ideas when you\u2019re getting started. \u201cI\u2019m going to fill the whole backyard with plants,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll turn this entire quarter acre of grass into a vegetable garden.\u201d That\u2019s a great vision\u2014but if you don\u2019t realize how much time, effort, and sweat that will take, it can quickly become overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What usually happens? You get started full of energy and hope\u2026 and before long, you quit. Not because you don\u2019t care, but because you\u2019re burned out. You lost the joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will take you farther is a different mindset: start small and grow over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, as that speaker so wisely put it: Quit while you still have joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re gardening, start with one small bed. Work it, learn from it, enjoy it. And then? Quit for the day while you still have joy\u2014before the work becomes drudgery. That way, you\u2019ll actually look forward to coming back tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This idea translates beautifully to working with horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In training, you’re always balancing between asking enough that the horse learns something\u2014and not pushing so far that they mentally shut down. One of the guiding principles I keep in mind when I work with a horse is this same idea: Can I quit for the day while my horse still has joy? While he\u2019s still willing to give more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I\u2019ve found is, if I end the session on that note\u2014where the horse is still curious, willing, and mentally present\u2014they come out the next day with a positive attitude, ready to learn again. But if I push too far and make training nothing but hard work, no fun? The next day, I\u2019m met with resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This works across the board.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever you\u2019ve chosen<\/em> to do in your life\u2014whether it\u2019s a personal project, a creative pursuit, or caring for something you love\u2014this principle holds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, you might be saying, \u201cYeah, but I have responsibilities. I can\u2019t just quit my job or stop caring for my child or parent because I\u2019m not feeling the joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s true. Joy is a feeling, and feelings come and go. We can\u2019t always step away when life gets heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when we have to create the joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy, when things get hard, to fall into a grumpy mindset. We all have our mental sad songs that start playing on repeat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n