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HEART OF A CHAMPION 283 Brian helped me see that it was possible, but it all came down to the right preparation—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Brian sent me one of his books titled “Training an Elite Mindset.” In- side the front cover he inscribed, ‘Donene, you have an Elite Mindset & You are a World Champion. Trust Your Shit and Go Get It!’ My eyes locked onto the words, Trust Your Shit. The awareness bubbled up inside of me that I was still waiting for others to fill me up with their words, telling me to trust what I had, telling me I have what it takes to accomplish my goal, that I can do it. One morning, as I was doing my chores at the barn, I began to re- call all the times people in my elite inner circle had told me that I have what it takes to attain my goal. I stopped in my tracks. “Hang on,” I said to myself. “I don’t need anyone else to tell me I can attain this goal. I need to believe in myself; I can do it! I need to have the conviction that I have everything already inside of me to attain my goal. I don’t need Brian, Troy, Lari Dee, Hope, Stan, my boys, or my friends to validate me or tell me I have what it takes.” I thought of a poster I had in my apartment back in college, ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’ I thought, ‘No one wants my goal more than I do.’ No one can attain it for me. I must have the conviction, the belief, the confidence in myself to “Trust Myself and Go Get It.”‘ It had taken decades for me to finally have this moment. But I wouldn’t have arrived here, at this moment, had I not been following all my daily mental preparation routines each day. That day, I drew a line in the sand and stepped across it. I was not going back to the old me. The missing piece of the puzzle was in place. I was ready. I had conviction.

284 DONENE TAYLOR DIGGING DEEPER – DO THE WORK ARE YOU DOING THE WORK YOU NEED TO DO EACH DAY? Just like you, I am gifted with some talent. However, my talents alone are not going to get me the desires of my heart. In order get what I desire, I need to become elite in many areas I have not developed, yet. We develop our talents through disciplined training. In order to become elite, I needed to do a lot of extra work. It took disci- pline to do the work to get to the level I want to be at. Much of the work I needed to do, others would not be will- ing to do. It took a massive amount of discipline on my part. If you’re not willing to put in the massive amount of time or if you think putting in the massive amount of time is too difficult; imagine, how difficult it will be to compete against someone who does it and you don’t? It didn’t matter to me that not everyone was investing in the same kind training, focus, energy, or resources that I was. It didn’t matter if other people weren’t taking numerous lessons or working with a mental performance coach. It’s not about what others need to do to attain their goals. It’s about us honoring our own journey and doing whatever it takes to become our best. Having discipline is doing the work whether you feel like it or not. When you are disciplined, you do the work regardless of how you feel. You find ways to bring your best every day, even if you may not have your best. Rodeo is a sport of many different variables. Lari Dee coaches that it will never be absolutely perfect. We must strive for our excellence, not perfection. That striving comes from disciplined training.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 285 Disciplined training means we can ride into the arena trusting what we have, no matter what is going on inside of us or around us. Training with discipline includes our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual training. Everything counts, and everything matters when we train. Brian Cain told me, “How you do anything is how you do every- thing.” “Excellence in small things is excellence in all things.” Giving 100% of what we have when we perform, regardless of how we feel, is a game changer in how we show up for ourselves. We owe it to ourselves to train it then trust it. Enter the arena and “just let it rip.” No matter what. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — ARISTOTLE, GREEK PHILOSOPHER AND SCIENTIST

286 DONENE TAYLOR Data Doesn’t Lie Five weeks before the Finals, on September 10th and 11th 2016, I went to two ropings in Colorado. (These ropings would count towards the new 2017 season.) My mindset was this: I’m competing at these 2017 ropings so I can keep my momentum moving forward. It’s a good thing I had that mindset, because I wound up learning a lot. In other words: things didn’t go as planned. At the first roping, in Elbert, Colorado, I made so many technical errors. I didn’t leave the box properly, broke the barrier. I didn’t drive Chester to the proper position behind the calf and I took shots that were not high percentage shots. I knew better than that. But it happened. My mindset was being tested, but this gave me an opportunity to practice the skills I’d been learning from Brian. I stayed positive, and my energy and attitude were upbeat. I didn’t hide in my trailer, I stayed out amongst the living and I even made some new friends. As a result, I felt like a new and improved version of me. I was thinking, “All my hard work on my mental game is paying off.” I remembered Brian telling me, ‘You’re not mentally tough when it is easy. You’re mentally tough when it is not easy.” As I planned for the next day, I said to myself, “Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I’ll work my process. I’m going to stay in my process.” This was markedly different from all the times I’d said to myself, “Tomorrow I’m going to win, I have to win.” It was totally different from all the times I just went back to my trailer and cried and played the movie reel of my mistakes over and over in my head. I had connected the dots. Even when I have a less than stellar prac- tice or competition, I realized three things always happen: 1. I didn’t die; 2. The sun came up the next morning; and 3. My family still loved me.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 287 I knew I would get the lesson and learn from it. The next day, I drove to Limon, Colorado. It did not start out like I thought it would. I made a good run in the first round, and then in the second round I reverted back to some old habits. I wasn’t driving Chester to where he needed to be, and I wasn’t taking the high per- centage shot. It was the same mistake I’d made the day before. I realized I wasn’t in control of myself or my performance. “Okay,” I said to myself. “I get it.” I got the lesson. The next round I had a good mindset. I knew it was not yet over. As Chester and I came out of the box, Chester locked in on the Jersey calf. I was in a great position, I delivered my rope to the calf’s neck, I was on target and the calf fell down. It was like the ground just swallowed him up. Chester, surprised, made an awkward step to try to avoid stepping on the calf, and he landed funny. I could feel that he landed wrong on his left front leg. I thought, ‘Uh oh, that wasn’t good.’ I delivered my rope just as the calf fell, I missed the calf and the roping was over. After the roping, I led Chester around a bit, trotting him, he seemed just fine. Meanwhile, I made a decision. I said to myself, “you know, I’m go- ing to get in control of myself.” My thoughts were really good, and I was happy about that, but I knew my technical skills still needed work. I took an objective, data-gathering look at what had happened, and I realized that when the calf ran to the right, it still was not automatic for me to use my left hand and drive Chester to the correct position behind the calf. Troy had cleverly called this, “Ride Bumper to Bumper.” This meant I needed to drive Chester directly behind the calf. It was a great verbal cue and visual reminder, and I’d been making improvement. However, this weekend I had my weaknesses exposed. I wasn’t quite there, yet. At this point, I was under the gun to fix my mistakes. I had five

288 DONENE TAYLOR weeks to get it together. I knew I’d need to make some adjustments to be successful. As I drove home, I thought, ’Good. I’m grateful my weak- nesses got exposed this weekend. Now I know exactly what I must intention- ally work on.’ I had conviction in myself. I knew I could rise above this past week- end. This weekend did not define me. I was going to use this weekend to refine me. I came home and applied what I learned in the form of deliberate practice.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 289 DIGGING DEEPER – DO THE WORK ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE? No one intentionally makes mistakes or fails. Once my mindset shifted to being grateful for my mistakes and fail- ures, it became much easier for me to re- lease the emotional attachment to what just happened. I flipped the switch in my head and became somewhat of a data gathering scientist. I took the approach that I was going to learn from the sit- uation and use it as an opportunity to get better. No longer did I have a sad, de- flated, woe-is-me attitude. Instead it was an attitude of gratitude. I would take the approach of ‘roll up my sleeves and get to work.’ Use the opportunity to gather data and learn from it for next time. This mindset made a huge improvement for me. It allowed me to pro- gress and get better. I recall taking a lesson at Troy’s and saying to him for the first time, as I rode into the roping box, “We are going to gather some data today.” Troy nodded his head and said, “Yep.” That practice was not one where I caught a lot of calves. During the lesson, I did not receive the rush of endorphins I get when I make a really good run. However, I did leave there that day feeling good be- cause I knew I was getting better. I had made mistakes and I was learn- ing from them. I had the mindset that I’d collected a lot of data and I

290 DONENE TAYLOR knew what to work on at home. I had homework to do and when I returned to Troy’s the following week for another lesson, I would take the quiz. Each time I competed I took the test. Lather, rinse, repeat. Inch by inch, I was seeing results from my new mindset. “This is something I know for a fact: You have to work hardest for the things you love the most.” — CAROL DWECK, AUTHOR OF MINDSET: HOW YOU CAN FULFIL YOUR POTENTIAL

HEART OF A CHAMPION 291 Trust Your Tribe A couple of days after I returned home from Limon, Colorado, Brian’s warning that there would always be adversity proved to be true. Chester was lame. He did injure his left leg when he made the awkward step over the calf that fell in Limon, the weekend before. I brought him to my vet, Dr. George Marble, who was in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Dr. Marble concluded that as Chester stepped over the calf, he first landed on the toe of his left hoof and jammed his knee. Doc gave Chester a cortisone injection in his left knee and told me to give him some time off. I followed the vet’s advice but ten days later, I could still see that something was still wrong. Anyone else who looked at Chester couldn’t see it, but I knew in my heart that something was up. Again, I called Dr. Marble. “Nobody can see it but me,” I said. “I’m not nobody,” he said. I brought Chester back and Dr. Marble agreed. He could tell there was something wrong in that hoof, but he didn’t have an MRI machine and there wasn’t much more we could do. Leading up to the Finals, I had a decision to make. Would I ride Chester, or not? He wasn’t lame at a walk and I could trot him a bit, so I kept him conditioned. I roped my sled at a slow speed or stationary. I had not roped any calves on him since his misstep over the Jersey calf in September. Meanwhile, I practiced with Rusty. Hunter and I headed down to the Finals on Monday, four days be- fore they kicked off. We arranged to stop at Troy’s place on our way down to Waco. Riley, Troy’s son, (who went on to become the 2016 PRCA National Finals Rodeo Average Champion Tie-Down Roper,) would tune-up Rusty. I brought Chester too, but I hadn’t made up my mind yet if I would ride him. I really didn’t want to hurt Chester fur- ther. But time was running out and I had a decision to make. The wind was just howling that day—probably blowing 50 or 60 miles an hour outside. But we were going to rope inside Troy’s barn. Ches- ter was looking great, he didn’t seem to be in pain, but I still felt hesitant.

292 DONENE TAYLOR As I warmed up Rusty, I was ponying Chester. I saw that Chester was tracking good; he didn’t take a lame step. I make a couple nice runs on Rusty first. Then, Riley made two awesome runs on him. Rusty was working great! Riley told me he really liked the way Rusty felt. Even though Chester was not lame I wondered if Riley tuning him up would trigger his lameness again. I hadn’t roped any calves on Ches- ter for over a month. I struggled with the decision. I didn’t want to do the wrong thing. I kept going back and forth in my mind. Finally, I asked Riley if he would rope on Chester too. “Sure,” he said. It made me anxious. My heart pounded and I took a 6-2-8 breath as Riley backed into the box with Chester. Chester fired. He worked perfectly. Riley rode Chester over to me and said, “I think Chester needs one more run.” I took a breath and said, “He looked pretty good, Riley.” Riley said, “I think one more run and he would feel much better.” I trusted Riley. “OK,” I agreed. Riley was right—Chester worked the best I had seen him work in a while. He was in his element. And he wasn’t lame afterwards. As I loaded the trailer back up, Troy walked over to me. “Donene,” he said. “You ride Chester at the Finals. You can’t not ride him. You ride that little horse.” I nodded. “Okay,” I said. Hunter and I then headed to Lamar, Colorado to spend the night at the fairgrounds. We would arrive at Lari Dee’s ranch, in Abilene, Texas, the following evening. On our way to Abilene, I got a phone call Dr. Marble. He con- firmed what Troy and Riley told me. “You ride Chester when you get to the Finals,” he said. “You can’t hurt him anymore than he already is. He’s going to be okay. So just

HEART OF A CHAMPION 293 give him the anti-inflammatory medication and ride him.” Dr. Marble had been my vet for about 20 years, and I trusted him. But I still wasn’t totally certain because I did not have a clear diagnosis of the issue. The fear of permanently crippling Chester lingered in my mind. I visited with Lari Dee later that day. As we made our way to her ranch, I told her how awesome Chester worked for Riley and what Troy and Dr. Marble told me. Lari Dee said the same thing. “Don’t take that away from Chester,” she said. “He wants to run down those calves. He wants to rope. Don’t not ride him.” She knew how much love I have for Chester and all the shenanigans I let him get away with. My heart was involved. I’d learned from Brian to trust my inner circle. Troy and Lari Dee were my mentors. Dr. Marble was my trusted vet. All their words were speaking life into me. I made my decision. I said to myself, “I will rope on Rusty in the All Girl Kick Off Jackpot, Thursday before the Finals. There is no rea- son to jump Chester into the mix until the Finals begin. I will rope on Chester at the Finals.” I knew whatever would happen at the Finals, I was bringing the best version of myself. I had solid strategies, many tools in my toolbox, and an elite inner circle to help me. My goals for these Finals were different than all the others. This time, they were: 1. Give it my full effort. 2. Work my process to the best of my ability. 3. Learn. I had control over these three goals. I had conviction. I was excited.

294 DONENE TAYLOR DIGGING DEEPER – DO THE WORK DO YOU LISTEN TO YOUR INNER CIRCLE WITH AN OPEN AND TRUSTING HEART, MIND AND SPIRIT? When you are in the presence of your inner circle are you always the smartest, the most creative, the one with all the answers, the genius of the group? If so, I encourage you to include some additional people to engage with in your inner circle. We want our inner circle to challenge us, help us get outside our comfort zone, be willing to call us up to be our best. We want to learn, evolve, and grow from our elite inner circle. Here is a quote from Brian Cain, “You will be the same person 10 years from now that you are today and probably have the same problems unless you change. You will be the same person except for the books you read, the experiences you have and the people you meet.” I am living proof of this! The books I have read, the experiences I have had, and the people I have met definitely impacted my life and influenced the trajectory of my life. What makes living in today’s world of technology so awesome is the people you meet, just like most of the people I meet, do not need to live anywhere close to you. The benefits the internet provides is amazing. We connect in many different venues; Skype, Zoom, webi- nars, Facebook Live, Audible.com, YouTube. We can purchase any book we want with a click; we can Google anything. Where you invest your time and who you invest it with is up to you. When I first began my journey, my inner circle included authors, speakers, and past and present athletic champions who I researched and followed. I purchased their programs, read their books and studied

HEART OF A CHAMPION 295 what they did. There are many I still have never met. At the time, I considered these great people my mentors, my coaches and part of my inner circle even though I did not know them personally. Each one played a pivotal role in helping me get on the right track while I was on my phenomenal journey. Today, my elite inner circle is one of the most important resources I have. Many of my mentors have turned into friends and they continue to be open and honest, calling me up to be my best. I am consistently learning, evolving, and growing as I invest time with each of them. One very cool perk to having an elite inner circle is, as our relation- ship evolved, I began to network with my mentors’ inner circle. My inner circle is now larger and stacked deeper with elite mindset people who have the same character traits, intensity, drive, and desire to excel as I do. I love Proverb 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” I consider the elite competitors I competed with as part of my elite inner circle too. For a long time, I viewed other competitors as my competition. I learned this is the furthest from the truth. I was not competing against any of them. Once I saw my competition through a different lens, I understood I was competing with each elite competitor. Each of them helps me to get better and strive for ‘my excellence.’ This shift in mindset helped me stop spending time comparing my- self to others. I began investing time connecting and developing rela- tionships. I began honoring my journey. I began experiencing joy, knowing I was becoming the best me possible. “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast and far, go with your tribe.” — ERWIN MCMANUS, AUTHOR OF THE LAST ARROW

Chapter 10 The World Finals I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. Hunter and I have a smooth trip as we make our way to Lari Dee’s ranch just a couple days before the Finals. As Hunter drives, I think about how grateful I am to have him travelling with me. At this point, I have 130,000 miles on my 2014 Ford F-350 King Ranch Dually. I’ve driven about 110,000 of those miles by myself, but I always loved it when Hunter could join me. Ever since Hunter and Roper began travelling with me in 2007, they’ve added the extra fun factor into the mix for me. The fun factor has been an important component for me when it comes to attaining

HEART OF A CHAMPION 297 my ‘peak performance’ state. Of course, I am serious when it comes to competing. I’ve invested so much time, energy and resources in pursuit of my goals. But along the way I’ve learned that being too serious won’t get me to my peak performance state. Of course, focusing only on hav- ing a good time won’t get me there either. When I compete, I strive for that serious-fun mindset. It’s a balance. How I interpret pressure is my responsibility. Pressure’s always go- ing to be there, especially in the bigger moments. I’ve learned to think of pressure as a privilege. Pressure is a positive. I’ve learned to use it for my advantage. Having the right amount of pressure, factored into my ‘Internal Performance State,’ is when I will perform my best when it matters most. Thinking of the event as “important but not special” is one way I strike the right balance. I want to win, but I do not have to win. I really care about how I compete, but I am going to adopt the attitude of car- ing just a little bit less. I am not going to blow this World Finals up to be bigger or more special than it is. It is what it is. These Finals are important, but they are not “special.” I think back to all the other trips I made to the Women’s World Rodeo Finals. This time, my mindset is totally different. I’m not think- ing, ‘This is it, it’s now or never, it’s do or die.’ It never crosses my mind that, ‘It’s my time, I have to win it this year,’ or, ‘I must seal the deal.’ Instead, this time I am focused on working my 13 strategies to stay committed to my boldest rodeo goal of becoming the WPRA World Champion Tie Down Calf Roper: 1. Stay committed to my commitment. 2. Continue to be addicted to positivity. 3. Ask for help. 4. Get outside my comfort zone. 5. Eliminate the word “try” from my vocabulary and replace it with “do.”

298 DONENE TAYLOR 6. Execute the 3 steps of performance change: Develop Aware- ness, Develop Strategy and Take Massive Action. 7. Develop and trust my elite inner circle. 8. Keep my focus on what I can control and on what I want to have happen. 9. Keep my process greater than my outcome. 10. Remember confidence is something I do. Act differently than how I feel. 11. Use adversity as my advantage and embrace the suck. 12. Develop and be disciplined to my routines—my daily routines and performance routines. 13. Recognize my signal lights; apply my release and refocus routine. I have memorized my positive, empowering script so it’s ready to go when negative self-talk, random thoughts, or destructive emotions try to filter into my mind. I am ready to shut the gate on negativity. I am in control of my self-talk, my thoughts, and my emotions. When we pull into Lari Dee’s on Tuesday evening around 6 pm, Hunter and I put Chester and Rusty in their regular spots. But as we get the living quarters ready for our stay at Lari Dee’s, the sensors in the trailer start screaming at us. Hunter and I cannot figure it out. As I open up my tack room door, we’re hit with an overwhelming smell of gasoline. We’re both taken off guard—this has never happened before. As we take a closer look, I no- tice my generator fuel tank has shaken loose off the floor and leaked gas onto the tack room floor. Luckily, the leaking gas was contained to the tack room, and the only equipment I lose to the spillage was a new pair of splint boots that had fallen on the floor. Lari Dee helps me move all my equipment to her barn so it will air out. I call Outlaw Conversions, in Stephenville, Texas—the company that built my living quarters. They make me an appointment first thing in the morning to replace the fuel tank and clean up the spillage.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 299 Nonetheless, I’m rattled. I hate that this happened! All my tack, and my tack room, has an extremely strong gasoline odor. And worse, driving to Stephenville tomorrow means I won’t get to practice and hang out with Lari Dee. This obstacle was not supposed to happen right before the Finals! I have a phone call with Brian at 8 pm, my last coaching call with him before the World Finals. He’ll meet us in Waco on Friday after the Finals begin. Brian asks me, “How’s it going, Champ?” I quickly give him the rundown of what just happened. “Is everybody okay?” he asks. With more than a hint of emotion in my voice, I say, “Yes, but all my stuff smells like gas and now I need to go to Stephenville tomorrow instead of staying here at Lari Dee’s ranch. This really throws a wrench into all my plans!” Brian breathes wisdom into me. “Donene,” he says, “adversity is always coming. The adversity you are experiencing right now will not be the only adversity you will experience over the next few days. Just know that more will be coming this weekend. It’s always coming. It’s your responsibility to choose how to respond to it.” Here we are, just a couple days before the Finals, and I’d received yet another great lesson: It’s my decision where I choose to place my focus— either on the problem, or on the solution to the problem. “Okay,” I say to myself. “I will intentionally place my focus on the solution to the problem—not the problem itself. The problem is never the problem. How I respond to the problem determines if I will spiral down from it or rise up from it.” I decide, ‘I will embrace the suck and make adversity my advantage.’ The next morning, at 6 am, we drive to Stephenville, Texas. Outlaw Conversions does a great job getting us back on the road, my trailer is good as new. We get back to Lari Dee’s at 6 pm. As I’m walking into Lari Dee’s barn to gather up all my equipment that has been airing out,

300 DONENE TAYLOR I don’t smell gasoline. I give it the ultimate test and place my nose right up to my saddle and inhale deeply. All good. We load my equipment, wrap Chester’s and Rusty’s legs, put on their Soft-Ride Boots and head to the Extraco Event Center in Waco. We pull into the event center around 11 pm. The complex is huge—it covers 50 acres, has over 700 covered horse stalls, approximately 250 full-service RV hook ups, a couple of arenas, and one huge Coliseum that seats 6,000 people for a rodeo. As I get checked in, I’m given my back number and contestant information. I get my assigned stalls and the RV permit to park the trailer. Next on the agenda, I get Chester and Rusty bedded down in their stalls with feed and water. Hunter is a great help with everything. While I’m on top of my trailer getting hay from the pod, I look up. The sky is so clear, blanketed with stars. I take it all in with a deep breath. I am so grateful to be here. We get the trailer parked and set up for us to call home for the next four days. I love this trailer. It has made my journey much more comfort- able over the last two and a half years. I still call it my “Dream Trailer.” It’s beautiful inside and has all the comforts and amenities of home. It’s now 1:30 am. Hunter is spent and goes to bed. I’m still very awake and excited. I walk over to the stall barn to check on Chester and Rusty. I fuss on them a bit, clean out their stalls and top off their water buckets. Then I walk over to the roping arena. The door is unlocked. I walk in. It’s dark inside, but light filters in from other parts of the arena. I walk into the arena and pick up a handful of dirt. I think about how grateful I am to be here. I feel comfortable here. I’ve roped out of this roping box since 2012. I know exactly how it’s all going to go down. I know the sched- ule, and where I need to be, and what it’s going to look like. It is silent in the arena. No one else is around. I walk into the box, imagining I’m riding Chester into the box, and take a big breath. Breathing is a huge part of my routine. When I take a breath, I relax. When I relax, my horse will relax. When we’re both relaxed, we’ll nail

HEART OF A CHAMPION 301 the start. When we nail the start, we set up our entire run for success. I walk out into the arena and visualize a run. I pick up more dirt. I tell myself, “This arena is like my arena at home. I will rope here like I do at home.” I remind myself that I am prepared. No one here is more prepared than me. I trust myself; I trust my horses; I trust my preparation. I say out loud, with conviction, “I am the 2016 WPRA World Champion Tie-Down Calf Roper.” I can see it. I can feel it. Most importantly, I believe it with all my heart. This is the first year I’ve ever thought like this. Each year prior to 2016 I felt that there was so much riding on how I did. I felt so much paralyzing pressure, so much stress. Every year I would show up with high expectations, thinking ‘This is the year it will happen. This is the year I will do it.’ But this year is different. This year, I have conviction. I will work my process and stay in my process the entire time. I’m in control of my thoughts and emotions. My self-worth is not attached to the outcome. I walk out of the arena with a big smile, feeling grateful for all the work I’ve done to get here, and for everyone who helped me. I go back to the trailer, take a shower, climb into bed, and shut my eyes. I visualize my roping runs, just like I do at home. I fall asleep visualizing to the sound of more trucks and trailers rolling in. When I get up the parking lot and stalls are filling up. There are people here from all over. The place is buzzing. I go to the barn and care for Chester and Rusty. I keep my morning routine as similar as I can to my routine at home. I’m listening to my audio book, I’m aware of my body language, where my focus is at, and my positive self-talk. Nothing from my morning routine will change from when I’m at home. When I return to the trailer I will meditate, write in my journal, and read. Brian taught me that the bigger the goal, the tighter my routines need to be. I’m going to remain flexible, but I have a plan and I’m going

302 DONENE TAYLOR to work my plan to the best of my ability. Consistency in my routines will give me consistency in my performances. Stan arrives; he flew in. He’ll video all my roping runs and keep track of all the tie down calves that we’ll rope at the Finals. In his note- book, he’ll keep a list of the calves and note which roper drew what calf each round. His notes will include how fast each calf ran, the pattern each calf ran, how each calf acted once roped, and how each calf took the tie—if they strained or kicked. He’ll also note if the calf did not stand straight in the roping chute—fought in the chute, laid down or did anything else peculiar. Other contestants will ask to see Stan’s notes too, and we’re happy to share. I enter the Thursday Night Kick Off Jackpot and get ready. The Jackpot is an opportunity to watch all the cattle that will be used during the Finals. This is when the directors will eliminate the cattle that don’t match the herd. This is a good thing because some cattle will run really fast, really slow, or run a crazy pattern. The Jackpot allows the directors from each event to do their best to give each contestant a fair oppor- tunity during the Finals. I ride Rusty during the Jackpot. The calf I draw is fast. I get out a little late, I run him down and make a good catch. As I’m running down the rope to him, he is really wild. Needless to say, this calf gets taken out of the draw for the Finals. He did not fit the herd. I know my run was good. I roped sharp and had great hustle on the ground. Even though I don’t place in the Jackpot I am pumped up and ready for tomorrow. I tell Stan, “I’m going to ride Rusty tomorrow in the first round. I’m just not ready to jump Chester in yet.” I see Chester is a little sore. Everyone in my inner circle told me to ride him, but my conscience is not letting me.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 303 Friday Morning - First Round The next morning, with no alarm, I wake up at 4:30 am. It will be a very comfortable 75 degrees later today, but right now it’s in the 40s. It’s dark and cool as I walk over to the horse barn. I put my gloves on and pull my hood up. As I walk in, Chester and Rusty nicker—they are very happy to see me. After taking care of my horses I crawl back into bed and do a 20- minute meditation using the Headspace App. I focus on my breath, on how my body feels. I finish up my morning routine and get dressed. It’s 6 am and still dark when I walk back over to get Chester and Rusty. Rusty does much better with Chester nearby so I bring them both to the trailer. I begin by brushing them both and stretching Rusty, then saddling him. At 7 am Stan walks over to the concession stand and brings us breakfast. He brings me a large hot chocolate and a breakfast burrito. I start to warm up on the inside. I continue with my preparation routine. My routine is automatic, and it gives me comfort, knowing this works for me. Around 7:30 am, Stan and I take both horses to the warm up arena and tie Chester to the fence. The first round will start with the barrel race at 8:30 am. I start warming Rusty up. He feels really good. Stan walks over to the bulletin board where they post the draw for each round. He starts writing down the draw—which roper will rope what calf. This will also be the area where they hang the results grid. The rodeo secretary will post each contestant’s time from all four rounds, for each event. She will also post how much money each con- testant wins, their cumulative times for the Average, and who is win- ning the race for the World Title in each of the events. I have already made the decision not to look at the results grid, even though I’ll walk and ride by it throughout the day. The results grid represents only one thing to me: Outcome. Outcome is one thing I will not focus on this year because I cannot control it. My focus will be on

304 DONENE TAYLOR my process and all the things I can control. Stan knows this and respects my decision. We will never once talk about the results grid until the Finals are over. Stan comes back over and tells me what calf I drew. “He’s a white calf, a bit slower, and may fade to the left a little.” I take a breath and smile. I know, I rope well when the calf fades a little to the left. I look over and see that Lari Dee just finished warming up her horse. I ride up to her and ask, “How far off the score line was I last night?” She says, “Not a lot.” I explain, “I had intentionally quartered Rusty in the box because I thought I needed that extra time, so I wouldn’t break out.” Lari Dee says, “Don’t quarter him this time.” I nod. I learned from last night. The tie down roping is the first event and I am the last contestant to go. My routines are solid as I wait my turn. I take deep, 6-2-8 breaths. I stay big with my body language. I keep my focus on the pro- cess. I am in the moment. My self-talk is positive. At last, it’s my turn. Riding into the arena, my heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest. I’m aware that I have a yellow light. I need to get back on green. As I ride into the roping box, I realize that Lari Dee isn’t going to stand in the box with me this time, unlike previous years. ‘Why isn’t she here?’ I wonder. ‘Is it because she doesn’t want to interfere with my rou- tines?’ My brain starts thinking about this and getting distracted. Then I catch myself. I can’t allow my internal dialogue to distract me. This is not the mental conversation I should be having just mo- ments before roping the most important calf I will ever rope. (The most important anything each of us will ever do, is what we are doing right here, right now in the present moment.) I focus on the here and now, the present moment. I release my yellow light as I smile and take a 6- 2-8 breath. I say, out loud, “I trust myself.” I back Rusty into the corner of the box and position him standing

HEART OF A CHAMPION 305 straight in line with the calf’s hind end. I take a breath and blow it out towards the calf’s neck—my target. I tell myself, “When he goes, I go.” The calf is standing straight. I nod, and the chute opens. I get out great this time. Rusty closes the gap on the calf quickly and effortlessly. The calf fades a little bit to the left. I see my target. I’m in great position, but my rope figure-eights and it feels like it is all wad- ded up. I cannot feel the tip of my rope. The calf is not fast, and I have time to fix my rope, but I make a poor decision. Just before I deliver my wadded-up rope to the calf’s neck I tell myself, “I hope this works.” I deliver my rope to the calf’s neck and I miss. I instantly have a yellow light. I stop Rusty and begin coiling up my rope while I take one of the most important 6-2-8 breaths I’ve ever taken. I turn Rusty around to the right and walk him out of the arena, asking myself, “What just happened?” I know the answer. I say to myself, “My rope figure-eighted and I delivered it anyway. I needed to fix it before I delivered it. I went into ‘prayer mode’ and just hoped it would work.” As I’m in the holding pen, I loosen up my saddle’s back and front cinches and tell myself, in my scientist, data-gathering voice, “I was not in control of myself. I must be in control of myself before I can control my performance. I must get in control of myself.” I remind myself, “I know this stuff! This is what Brian and I have diligently trained.” I coach myself by saying out loud, “I know what to do!” As I take my rope off my saddle horn and begin putting my equip- ment in my rope can and bag, I continue with my release and refocus routine. I understand how crucial it will be for me to quickly get back onto a green light. I did not anticipate missing any calves here at the Finals. I ask my ‘scientist-self,’ “What am I going to do differently next time?”

306 DONENE TAYLOR My answer is clear. “Well, I’m changing my rope,” I say. “I don’t trust this one. And… I’m going to jump Chester in tonight! I need to do something different. I’m going to change the vibe.” I gather up all my equipment and begin leading Rusty back to the practice arena where Chester is tied up and Stan and I have agreed to meet. As I walk over, I can tell I’m still on a yellow light. I ask myself another question, “What does missing this calf mean?” I answer, “This miss does not define me as a roper or as a person. This miss does not take away any of the time I invested training. I am still as prepared as I was before I missed that calf. I still trust my preparation, my horses, my process.” I’m still not fully on green. I ask myself one more question, “What else…?” I say out loud, “It’s not over yet!” I am on green! Chester sees us approaching and gives a big whinny. He always makes me smile! I see Stan approaching from my right. Now, when I see Stan, I’m kind of giggling inside because I’m thinking, ‘This is a brave, brave man walking up to his wife who just missed her first-round calf.’ Last year at the Finals, Stan saw me at my worst for three days. I’m sure he’s thinking, ‘Oh boy, here we go again. I can’t take another three days of crying and carrying on.’ But that’s not what his body language reflects. He has a kind smile and a pep in his step. He walks up and says, “Dang it.” I give him the recap of my recent release and refocus routine. I end the recap by telling him, “… and it’s not over yet!” “That’s right!” he says. As Stan and I walk through the main barn, I spot Brian and his assistant, Jacob Armstrong. “How did you do in the first round?” asks Brian. I cut right to the chase and tell him exactly what happened. I end with telling him, “I wasn’t in control of myself. I know better.”

HEART OF A CHAMPION 307 As we watch the breakaway roping and some team roping, Brian points out the body language of certain competitors. We are breaking things down, and I’m loving this coaching session. Then Brian asks me, “Have you ever been in this position before? Are you good at making a comeback?” I pop off, right back to him, and say, “I am great at rallying back!” After I say it, I realize how much conviction I have. Even though I missed my first calf, this is how much confidence, belief, conviction I have in myself. There’s no blaming, complaining or getting defensive. There’s no ego, no pride involved—just the desire to keep moving for- ward and to keep getting better. I’m in a remarkably different place than I was just one year ago. After my coaching session with Brian I know I need to recharge. I need to prime my Internal Performance State for the second round that will take place later tonight at 7 pm. So, I climb into bed and take a 2 ½-hour nap. Hey, it takes what it takes! A long nap plus two 15-minute rounds of meditation on my Head- space App and I’m fired up and ready to get back in the game. “Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.” — SATCHEL PAIGE, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHER Friday Night – Second Round I get Chester warmed up. I can tell he’s a little sore, but he’s happy and feels really good. I am excited to jump him into the mix! After warming him up, I go back to the trailer and continue my preparation routine. Tonight, I wear my neon green shirt. It has a “Rope Like A Girl”

308 DONENE TAYLOR patch that Lari Dee gave me. It will be a constant reminder to stay on a green light tonight. I think to myself, ‘Green means go!’ I see Lari Dee and Hope in their golf cart, driving to their stalls to get their horses ready for the performance. Lari Dee comments on my bright green shirt. “Green means money,” she says. We laugh. I tell her, “I’m thinking that too.” After riding in the Grand Entry, and listening to the National An- them and a prayer, the second round is about to begin. Chester and I are ready! We are going to give 100% of what we got. The announcer calls my name. After that I don’t hear anything he says. As I ride into the arena, I give Chester a friendly pop on his butt with my right hand. In my mind, this is an anchor point. I associate this anchor point with being locked into the process of making the best run I can. I know I can’t block out everything. It’s a noisy, bustling place— I’ve got the announcer, the contestants, people in the grandstand, con- versations going on around me, and the noise of the gates and cattle. But I can lock in with extreme focus on my process. Riding into the box I stay in my routine. I’m ready to nod for my calf, but the calf has his head turned back, hard to the left. The calf is not cooperating. Hunter is in the chute with my calf, working to get him to look forward, straight out of the roping chute. Lari Dee walks up to the chute and helps Hunter. It’s important to wait for the calf to look forward before I nod for him. This allows for a smooth, forward motion start for the calf, for me, and for my horse. When everything is ready, and I do nod for my calf, Hunter will help guide the calf out so there will be no hesitation. As I wait for my calf to look and stand straight, I’m on a green light. I know I must stay relaxed so I can respond once everything is good to go. I know I will have a very small window of time to nod for my calf when he stands straight. I don’t want to stay in the roping box any longer than I need to. In past years, my body would have been tight, stiff as a board, with

HEART OF A CHAMPION 309 a death grip on my reins as I waited for the calf to cooperate. My thoughts would have circled around ideas of doubt and fear—’What if this happens or that doesn’t happen?’ Tonight, though, I’m gently rocking back and forth, breathing, locked in on the calf so I can capitalize on the opportunities coming my way. I maintain contact with Chester through my reins, but I’m not pulling back or tense. I trust Hunter and Lari Dee to square this calf up for me and get him looking straight out of the chute. Meanwhile, Chester does what Chester does best. He stands like a statue with his ears pointed forward. He looks like a leopard, ready to pounce on his prey at precisely the perfect moment. He is relaxed light- ning. Chester’s a Rock Star! Hunter and Lari Dee get the calf standing straight. I nod. We are off the score line a bit and the calf’s fast. He quickly fades to the right. I use my left hand and legs to drive Chester bumper-to-bumper behind the calf. I am in position to deliver my rope to the calf’s neck, and I catch him! Chester sticks his hindquarters in the ground, stopping hard and straight. I step off the right and begin running diagonally ahead of the calf who is running left. I know I must cut him off at the pass and not get behind him. Once I get to the calf, I flank, gather and tie him as fast as I can. I throw my hands in the air and walk confidently back to Chester. My time is 12.9 seconds. As I ride Chester across the arena and back to the holding pen, I think to myself, ‘Even if I don’t place, this run was a winning run for me. I was in control of myself from the time I rode into the arena until I threw my hands in the air. I was in control of my performance.’ Lari Dee sees me and gives me a fist bump. I feel energized from head to toe. My friend Kari Nixon is the next roper to compete. Kari always inspires and motivates me. Prior to these Finals, less than $100 sepa- rated us in the World Standings. It’s been a battle between the two of us all season long.

310 DONENE TAYLOR I step off Chester and loosen up my cinches. I get back on him to watch the rest of the round, just in time to see Kari miss her calf. Even though we’re competitors, I can empathize. I think to myself, ‘I know what that feels like.’ Then my old internal dialogue starts up again. The thought enters my mind, ‘We are even now—we have both missed one.’ It is so tempting to think like this—to get caught up in the calcu- lations, the possibilities. But I correct my thinking. “Stay in your pro- cess, Donene,” I say, under my breath. “Rope one calf at a time. Process over outcome.” Next to me, a couple women I know—Sha Dee Langston and Kel- sie Chase—are sitting on their horses and watching the second go-round unfold. Kelsie leans over and says to me, “You tied that calf really fast.” “Thanks. I was pretty motivated,” I quip. We all start laughing. It feels good to be with these girls, socializing, joking, and soaking up the comradery. I’m not used to feeling so relaxed at the Finals. Hope Thompson wins the round with an 11.5 second run. Her run was quick and smooth. I win second. After the tie-down roping, I lead Chester back to meet Stan in the warm up arena at “our spot.” Stan has a big smile on his face as he walks up to me. “I got so excited that I forgot to video your run,” he says. “That’s okay,” I laugh. “I will remember that run!” It’s exhilarating to make a good run; it gives me a rush of endor- phins. But I remind myself to not let the lows get me too low, or the highs get me too high. I learned from working with Brian how to get off the emotional roller coaster, and I made the decision not to get on that crazy ride ever again. Tonight, while performing under pressure, I know perfectly well that I didn’t rise to the occasion—I sunk to my levels of habits and training. I received great returns from the investments I made in my daily, small, smart, consistent habits. Tonight, I’m validated; all the

HEART OF A CHAMPION 311 mundane, unsexy, seemingly insignificant, alone in the dark, long hours of hard work were absolutely, positively worth it! I make the decision to stay consistent in my evening routine. To- morrow will be the last day of the World Finals. Even though at times my thoughts are attempting to take me down the different scenarios path, I push those thoughts out of my head. I shut the gate on all neg- ative thoughts—past or future. They are not setting up shop in my head. I purposefully think about WIN—What’s Important Now. I will stay in the present moment, finishing up my evening routines and in- vesting time with Stan. At the end of the day, I climb into bed and close my eyes. I vividly visualize tie-down roping runs in the Extraco Center as I drift off to sleep. “At the end of the day, Wonder Woman is a peace seeker. But when fight arrives, she can fight. She’s a warrior, and she enjoys the adrenaline of the fight.” — GAL GADOT, ACTRESS Saturday Morning – Third Round Once again, I wake up before 5 am with no alarm. I tell myself, “I am grateful to be here at the Finals.” This is a great indicator I am on a green light. As I work my pre-competition routine this morning for the third round, I say to myself with conviction: “I trust myself, I trust Chester, I trust my process. I will focus on what I can control and on what I want to have happen. My goal must be in my control. I will keep my process over the outcome. Whatever happens today I am 100% OK with it. I am enough without a World Championship. I have already

312 DONENE TAYLOR put all the hay in the barn. I am prepared! What I have will be enough. I am enough! I will leave everything I have out in the arena.” After I saddle up, I lead Chester over to the warm up arena to warm him up. He feels great until I trot him. He is off, I can tell. Chester being lame is a yellow light for me. My conscience kicks in, but so does all the advice I received from my elite inner circle. Trusting my inner circle has been impactful and influential for me up to this point. I decide to continue to trust all their advice and rope on Chester. I release my yellow light by stepping off Chester, scratching his neck and giving him a big hug. I take a 6-2-8 breath and blow it out at his mane. I tell Chester, “I love you, and we got this!” Working my release/refocus routine this way did not happen by ac- cident. It took intentional practice on my part. And boy, I’m glad I did the work! Stan checks the draw. My calf is white, and he’s on the bigger side. I know all the calves at this event are fairly small, but we start talking about whether I should flank him or nose him. I decide I will nose him. I know by nosing him I will pop up the front leg, so I can catch it in the air. If I don’t get a clean flank it can set me up for problems. I’m going to nose him. I’m confident with my decision—no second guess- ing. I trust my intuition. The third round gets started around 8:30 am. I’ll be the last tie- down roper to compete this morning. I check my cinches and give everything a visual overview as the other ropers compete. It’s important that the cinches are tight, so when the calf hits the end of the rope it doesn’t lift the saddle up. I want my saddle to fit snug against my horse’s back, even with the jerk from the calf after I rope. The calves aren’t huge—they weigh under 200 pounds, compared to Chester, who weighs 1100 pounds. But if the saddle gets pulled up or moves ahead after I rope, it will pinch Chester’s withers, and hurt his back. If horses feel pain they’ll stop working. I make sure

HEART OF A CHAMPION 313 my cinches are good and tight; after roping, I’ll loosen them. As I sit on Chester, waiting for my turn, I stay consistent in my pre-competition routine. I stretch my piggin string above my head making my arms into a victory position. I’m purposefully making my body big. I know when I have big body language, I increase my testos- terone level and decrease my cortisol (stress hormone) level. In her book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges, Amy Cuddy discusses this science-based research. It works. As I ride into the arena to rope my calf I am on a green light. My body language is big, I’m relaxed, and energized. I’m breathing. My mind is locked in and focused. I say, “I trust myself.” I score well and get out good. This white calf is slower than the black calf I roped last night. Chester gathers up on him quickly and closes the gap. I take an extra swing and make a sharp catch. Chester stops hard, I step off the right and run down to the calf. I get a great block and I turn his nose back and pop him up. I string, gather, tie, throw my hands in the air. It was a solid run with no mistakes. We are 13.7 seconds. As I walk back to meet Stan, I’m feeling grateful. I tell myself, ’I stayed in my process.’ When I meet Stan, I ask him, “Where did I end up?” Stan says, “You got fourth.” “Really?” I say. I had no idea of the times being laid down. I was completely engaged in my routine and self-talk. The fourth and final round will start around noon. I decide to un- saddle Chester and take him back to his stall, so he can get a drink and relax. I am going to do the same. The Finals will all be over in a few hours. Stan and I relax at the concession stand, I truly have a sense of peace inside of me. This is something I have never experienced at the World Finals before. During past Finals, I stood in front of the results grid playing out every possible scenario in my head and doing the math. My

314 DONENE TAYLOR thoughts would be spinning around, ‘If she ropes that fast then I need to be this fast, or if she wins that amount of money then I need to win this amount.’ In the past, I would have spent time predicting the outcome based on what calves we all could draw. Today, I know I have absolutely, positively no control over any of that. I choose not to place my focus on any of that uncertainty. I choose to focus on the things I can control. I control my positive attitude, my full effort, my process, my perspective, my self-talk, my body language. I control my thoughts and emotions. In the past, I may have thought, ‘This World Championship is mine to lose. I have to catch. I have to win money.’ Today, I am thinking, ‘This World Championship is mine to WIN. WIN – What’s Important Now; working my process to the best of my ability and give it my full effort.’ “When the game is over, I just want to look at myself in the mirror, win or lose, and know I gave it everything I had.” — JOE MONTANA, NFL QUARTERBACK Saturday Afternoon - The Final Round Before I know it, it’s time to get Chester from his stall and saddle him. I am on a green light and still warmed up from this morning’s third round. I do not meditate or exercise. I’m ready. I have the awareness that my Internal Performance State (IPS) is exactly where it needs to be. After I saddle Chester, I take him to the warm up arena. As I begin trotting him, it is obvious. He is lame. He’s dropping his shoulder sig- nificantly. I pull him up. This is a yellow light for me. I lope a couple of circles on him to see how he tracks, stop him and

HEART OF A CHAMPION 315 back him up. He’s acting great—his ears are up, he’s happy being Chester, and he’s walking off good. Trotting seems to give him the most trouble. I remember Dr. Marble’s words: “You can’t hurt him anymore than he is. He will recover.” I remember Lari Dee saying, “Do not take this away from Chester by not riding him.” I release my yellow light by stepping off Chester, taking a 6-2-8 breath and blowing it out at his mane. I tell myself out loud, “Chester will be OK.” I decide I am going to ride him. He is lame but not crippled. I warm him up, and it doesn’t take much. He’s still good from this morning. After Stan checks the draw, he walks back over to me and Chester. Stan says, “You drew the calf that Hope roped this morning.” He reviews his notebook. “He is black, will run at a medium speed, and his pattern has been to fade left.” I say, “I like everything about this calf.” Then Stan adds, “This calf will try the tie—he’ll try to get up.” “Okay,” I say. “I need to make sure I pull my hooey down into the “V” and tie him tight.” We walk over to the arena. Lari Dee and Hope are there. “What calf did you draw?” asks Lari Dee. “The one that Hope had last round,” I say. “He will try the tie,” warns Hope. I nod. I understand. I am ready. As I wait my turn, I can feel myself getting more and more excited. My heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest. In response, I close my eyes, smile, and take in some big breaths. I need oxygen—fuel for my mind and my body. I remember Brian telling me, “The bigger the mo- ment, the bigger the breath needs to be.” I have Chester all cinched up, and I check my rope. I raise my pig- gin string above my head and make my body big. I visualize and say my ABC’s of Focus: ‘Ride bumper to bumper, feel

316 DONENE TAYLOR my tip, take my hand to the calf’s neck.’ I know when I do these three things, I will be successful. I remind myself to: ‘Act Big, Breathe Big, Commit Big.’ My routine is automatic. I’ve practiced it—a lot. I know what I need to do to perform my best and I’m doing it. As I wait outside the arena for my name to be called, I tell myself, ‘Whether I leave here a World Champion or not, it doesn’t matter. Today’s outcome does not define me as a person or a competitor. I am focusing on my process and competing with full effort. I do not control the outcome, I am a participant in it.’ I say out loud, “Let go of the outcome.” As I take yet another 6-2-8 breath and exhale it out between Ches- ter’s ears, I tell myself again, ‘I trust myself, I trust Chester, and I trust my preparation. I love doing this.’ A peace overtakes me. I smile. I know I’m ready to perform my best, now, in this moment, when it matters most. Suddenly, I hear Hunter’s voice. He’s yelling and pointing, “Mom, Mom, this is your calf!” I see him crawling in the chute behind my black calf. I get my pigging string ready, put the loop in my mouth, and slip the tail of the string into my back belt-loop. I ride Chester into the arena. As I ride into the roping box, I take my 6-2-8 breath and tell myself one more time, ‘I trust myself.’ I flip the switch from thinking mode to trusting mode. I am going to let my hair down, have fun and let it rip! Compete! I’ve done all the work, now it’s time to enjoy the ride. I get out good and I quickly drive Chester right up the middle of my calf, bumper to bumper. I see this is my shot, it’s going to be a quick catch. However, I have the awareness at that moment, the tip of my loop is not where it needs to be. The tip of my loop is still behind me. I need to finish my swing and bring my tip around to the right before I can deliver my loop to the calf’s neck. At that moment, Chester rates back a little, even though he knows this is the position I want to be in, because he feels me stop riding

HEART OF A CHAMPION 317 aggressively. I don’t take that shot and I drive Chester back up into position, bumper to bumper, behind the calf. Knowing the tip of my loop was still behind me and not in the proper position, and then driving Chester back into position—that right there was a win for me. For a really long time, I would have taken that shot because I was in good position with my horse and I was only concerned about roping quick. For a really long time, I didn’t have the awareness to feel the tip of my loop and recognize when it wasn’t where it needed to be. For a really long time, I did not have control of myself while performing. In previous World Finals, I would have taken that shot. I would have delivered my rope only hoping it would work and then felt ex- tremely frustrated, disappointed, and sad when I missed my calf. But all that time I invested roping in the dark had paid off. The moment I’d been preparing for had finally arrived. I drive Chester back into position with my left hand and legs. We are a bit further down the arena and travelling faster. I make a sharp neck catch. Chester slides on his hindquarters and I step off his right side. The other competitors behind me cheer. If those ladies could have willed this run for me, they did. Because what happens next is a textbook run. I had practiced tying this exact calf from the post for decades. For many years, I played the game that most rodeo competitors play; im- agining that this practice run is the big one. Saying to myself, ‘This next run is the one to win the World! This run is for all the marbles!’ I’d played this game a lot over the decades at home. I played it in my mind and out loud, while I worked with Troy, Lari Dee, Tyson Durfey, and Reese Reimer. I played it while I worked with Kelli and Paul, and the college kids all those years ago, when winning the World was a far-away dream. And I played this game at home with Stan, on the very last calf I tied from the post before I left for these World Finals. As I run down the rope, I trust my preparation. I tie fundamentally correct, smooth and quick. As I finish my hooey, I pull it tight down into the “V” of the calf’s legs.

318 DONENE TAYLOR I had visualized how this final run for the World Title would look, feel, sound. And it was exactly how I’d envisioned it. Brian had told me that thoughts become things—and he was right. I throw my hands in the air, knowing I won. That was the run I needed. I clap my hands and raise my arms. I did it. I know without a doubt that I am the World Champion. “A dreamer, I walked enchanted, and nothing held me back.” — DAPHNE DU MAURIER, AUTHOR The Winner As I slip into the holding pen from the back, the first person I see is Kari. I step off Chester. Kari wraps her arms around me and gives me a big hug. “Congratulations!” she says. I feel the sincerity in her voice. Kari, my friend and fellow competitor—the person who inspired me to be “skeered but doing it anyway”—is now congratulating me on winning the World. As I walk Chester over to meet Stan, I pass Lari Dee. She hugs me. “Good job, Donene!” she says. Despite all the excitement, I’m worried about Chester. My eyes tear up. “I think Chester might be done, Lari Dee,” I admit. “He’s lame.” “He’s just a little lame,” she assures me. “He’ll be all right.” Chester and I walk to the meeting place where we’ll find Stan. All the competitors we pass wish me congratulations and tell me they’re happy for me. It’s a flurry of excitement and positivity. And there’s Stan. I walk up to him and he grabs me, hugs and kisses me. I can see the tears in his eyes—he is crying with joy. Stan’s been doing the math all this time, and he knows the results. He confirms what we already know: I am World Champion.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 319 “I would not have missed seeing this for the world,” he says. Hunter hustles over and gives me one of his signature bear hugs which almost squeezes all the air out me. Then I gave Roper a call. He’d stayed home, doing all the chores while we were here. I tell him, “Thank you for helping me practice all these years. I couldn’t have won this without you!” I call Dad and tell him the news. I haven’t visited with him since I’d left for the Finals. He too begins to cry, he is so happy for me. This has been a long process for my entire family. They’ve all made sacrifices so I could run my dream down. Amidst all the joy is a bittersweet feeling in my heart, because Justin isn’t here. Justin had been very supportive of me wanting to be a World Champion. He was one of my biggest cheerleaders, even when I really sucked. I would have loved to have him see me transform my roping the way I have. He would have been so proud. He would have been the loudest person cheering me on. I miss my Mom too. I silently send her a little ‘Thank you,’ because even though she’s not here, she added fuel to my internal fire to pursue this goal relentlessly. I think about that pivotal conversation towards the end of her life, when she told me she had regrets. Even without knowing it, she inspired me to pursue wholeheartedly what lights me up and sets my soul on fire. After that conversation, I vowed not to live or die with regret in my heart. After the win, Stan and I are both on the phone, calling and texting. There are so many people to thank, including Brian, Julie, and Troy. So many people helped me get here. My heart is overflowing with gratitude. My phone beeps: it’s a text from Lari Dee. She’s sent me a photo of the results grid with the updated final results. As I review the results grid, I look at the times of the final go. I won fourth that round with a 15.2 second run. I also won third in the Average. Only now do I see that Kari tied her last calf in 12.9 seconds and won third in that round. In previous Finals, seeing her perform a run like that would have really tripped me

320 DONENE TAYLOR up. I would have been busy worrying or calculating what it meant for me. But this time, I wasn’t taking stock of anyone’s run but my own. I was truly locked in on my own process, focusing on what I could control. Later that day, we take our seats at the awards ceremony. This was something I’d thought about and dreamed about for years. In all the WPRA Finals I competed in, I never missed an oppor- tunity to attend the awards ceremony. I’d watched past World Cham- pions like JJ Hampton, Kim Williamson, Kelly Lawrence, Lari Dee, Hope, Kari Nixon, and Jackie Hobbs-Crawford each walk up multiple times and receive their World Championship saddle and buckle. I’d sat at that table and told myself, ‘If they can do it, I can do it.’ Sometimes I even caught myself tearing up, I wanted it so bad. I had envisioned for decades how it would look, feel, and sound as I walked up to receive my World Championship awards. Most times, when I closed my eyes and visualized walking up to get my World Championship awards, I would actually feel the chills and goosebumps on my body, the tears in my eyes and the huge smile on my face. I had visualized this awards ceremony down to the finest of details, watching from my minds-eye. I’d even imagined Lari Dee standing up and giving me a hug as I made my way to the front of the room to accept my award. I never shared this with anyone, but after working with Brian, I understood that elite competitors visualize the tiniest of details and use all their senses when they practice visualization. As I sit at the large round table with my family and friends, waiting for the ceremony to begin, I am overtaken with gratitude. I think about every- one who has helped, encouraged, and supported me. I recall how my elite inner circle helped me grow through many challenges to get here today. I’m quiet as I process this. Accomplishing my goal is finally begin- ning to sink in and get real. When the emcee announces my name as the 2016 WPRA World Champion Tie-Down Roper, I make my way up to the front of the room. The crowd erupts, loudly cheering and clapping.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 321 I smile and take a big breath. As I make my way to the front, Lari Dee stands up too. She steps in and gives me a hug—just like I’d visu- alized all those times before. Well, that does it for me. My eyes well up with tears. I made it. I’d run down my dream. At last, I am the World Champion. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” — PELÉ, BRAZILIAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER

Chapter 11 After the Win I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. When I returned home from the Finals, I gave Chester a well- deserved rest. At times, he appeared sound. Other times, he would have an episode of lameness. For a while, Dr. Marble and I did not understand why this was occurring. Eventually, we decided to get an MRI of Chester’s left and right front legs and hooves. Dr. Marble, being the elite veterinarian he is, reviewed hundreds of images and found the problem: Chester had acquired a rim fracture of the coffin bone in his left front hoof back when he mis- stepped over the fallen Jersey calf in September 2016. By the time we got to the source of the injury, Chester was close to

HEART OF A CHAMPION 323 being fully and completely recovered. He was deemed sound shortly thereafter, just inside one year of his injury. I’m glad I gave Chester the time he needed to completely heal. I can’t express how much I love that little horse. He gave me everything he had, always. And I improved because Chester would not tolerate improper technique. He challenged me to give my best and learn to do better. That is how he is built. Even though Chester did not feel his best at the World Finals, he acted differently than how he felt. He did not allow how he felt to deter- mine how he performed. This is a testament to how Chester rolls all the time. From riding in the trailer for long hours, to performing in ex- treme weather conditions, to running down different types of cattle in all arena conditions, he always gives 100% of what he’s got. A veterinarian once told me that Chester has mettle. You know, I love that word. That word describes Chester to a tee. I think I have some mettle in me as well. After the Finals, my other priority besides looking after Chester was to take care of my medical condition, which I had grown accus- tomed to since March. On November 30th, I underwent a partial hys- terectomy surgery. During my recovery I began investing time in my new “bold goals.” Truth be told, I had these bold goals already in place before I won the World Championship. I’d looked into what can happen after accomplish- ing a major goal and I learned that many athletes spiral down into de- pression because there’s nothing else to work on or look forward to. The athlete is lost without the goal they had relentlessly invested themselves in. Lanny Bassham, Olympic gold medalist, and World Champion tells the story of how this happened to him. In his book, With Winning in Mind, Mr. Bassham shares that he experienced severe depression af- ter winning a gold medal at the Olympics. The reason being that he

324 DONENE TAYLOR didn’t have a new goal set beyond those Olympic Games. Once he set a new goal, he had a direction. He was at peace. I have experienced that downward spiral of depression quite a few times during my life, and I know that when it happens, my eating dis- order, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, can resurface. I made the de- cision to put strategies in place to ensure it did not. My new bold goals were: 1. Write a book sharing my journey and my mental performance strategies 2. Become a mental performance coach 3. Work with groups as a keynote speaker and implement mental performance workshops With my new bold goals in place I knew what to do—continue to be mentored by Brian Cain and seek out a book writing and speaking coach. From there, I implemented my three Steps of Performance Change: 1. Develop awareness 2. Develop a strategy 3. Take massive action Initially I had no idea how to accomplish my new bold goals or the timeline in which I would attain them, but that was not important to me. What was important was that I knew in my heart I would do eve- rything necessary to accomplish these goals. There was no doubt in my mind I was going to find a way to attain each one of them, because I had a ‘big why’—a heartfelt reason for pursuing them.

HEART OF A CHAMPION 325 I knew these bold goals would be difficult. I knew these bold goals would challenging. But I also knew that accomplishing these bold goals would be worth it. “Outlive your life! You were made to make a difference.” — MAX LUCADO, CHRISTIAN AUTHOR

326 DONENE TAYLOR What I Thought Winning the World Would Give Me For years, aspiring to win a World Championship was my main focus, my spark, my lifeline. For years, I thought winning the World would be instantaneously life changing. Thank goodness my elite inner circle helped me transform my mindset. Nevertheless, for a very long time, I believed every one of these next statements would happen once I won the World Championship. 1. When I win the World, I won’t have any problems or struggles. Brian Cain had told me, “Just know, adversity is always coming.” This message is similar to a quote I recall from Mark Batterson’s book, In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day, where Mark writes, “If you don’t have problems, then you don’t have potential.” Falling in love with the process is falling in love with the adversity, the mistakes, the struggles, the challenges, the obstacles. If we only get excited about our successes or the good times, we are signing ourselves up for a crazy, emotional roller coaster ride. I knew I had truly fallen in love with the process when I began getting excited about making mistakes, or encountering obstacles, struggles or setbacks. It was then that I knew, in my heart, it was just a matter of time before I would become a better version of myself. I was going to learn from it, improve, grow, and evolve to the next, strongly desired level. But even then—and this next part is key—after I have a break- through or experience success, the process begins again. Setbacks, struggles, challenges and obstacles will keep coming. I began looking forward to the learning curve because that is what gives me the oppor- tunity to get better. Becoming a better version of ourselves and helping others attain

HEART OF A CHAMPION 327 what they desire is truly what it’s all about! The process is never-ending. “There is no finish line! Once you think you have arrived, you’re done.” — BRIAN CAIN, MASTER MENTAL PERFORMANCE COACH

328 DONENE TAYLOR 2. When I win the World, I will be happy. Just as confidence is something you do, not something you feel, so is being happy. Happiness is a choice. For a really long time I thought happiness was a destination. I told myself, “When I win the World, then I will be happy.” Or, “When I finish school, get a real job, get married, have a family, own a house, lose weight, make the Finals, then…I will be happy.” I learned that I don’t want to attach a future date to my happiness. I am going to live in the here and now, be where my feet are. I made the choice to bubble up positive emotions, enthusiasm, joy, whimsy, all while living in the present moment. I made the choice to have a solid why, and then align my why with my daily actions. Doing this gives me a sense of purpose, which keeps me moving in a forward direction. The easiest way I have found to be happy is to be grateful. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” — DENIS WAITLEY

HEART OF A CHAMPION 329 3. When I win the World, I will be the best. When I look up the word best in the dictionary, I see words like: great- est, perfect, incomparable, unsurpassed, unbeatable, ultimate. When I see these words, I’m thinking, ‘I am none of those things.’ When I look up the word good in the dictionary, I see words like: excellent, capable, proficient, skillful, talented, masterly. Now, I’m thinking, ‘Yes! That’s me, I’m a good roper.’ So, how did a good roper win the World? I did two really important things. First of all, I developed World Champion Characteristics. I was gritty, courageous, and coachable. I consistently stepped out- side my comfort zone. I had a strong, persistent and honest work ethic. I had the mindset of ‘I control what I can control.’ I cannot control the outcome, but I can create and influence the outcome with my re- sponse to the events happening around me. I controlled my response by practicing techniques like mindfulness, positivity, gratitude, com- passion, and empathy. I took action, I had a plan and kept executing on my plan; whether I felt like it or not. I had a reason for my ‘big why’ and my actions each day aligned with my ‘big why.’ I was positive, inspired, motivated, committed to show up for my- self because I knew no one could do this for me. No matter what, I maintained a deep conviction and belief in my- self. At the same time, I maintained intense focus on the pursuit of getting a little bit better every day. I checked my pride and my ego at the barn door; they were not invited on this journey. Altogether, these things had me behaving like a World Champion well before I actually became one. Secondly, I was willing to do all the things no one else was willing to do. I got creative in my thinking. I thought outside the box and

330 DONENE TAYLOR executed on my ideas. Not very many people would go to the lengths I went to. I went all-in. The combination of these things created a winning formula: Average Skill + World Champion Character + Do What Others Aren’t Willing To Do = World Champion. Average skill with phenomenal will… that is how I won my World Championship. “Monday, I GRIND, Tuesday, I GRIND, Wednesday, I GRIND, Thursday, I GRIND, Friday, I GRIND, Saturday, I GRIND, Sunday, I GRIND. And, that’s why I’m here today.” — ERIC THOMAS, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER AND AUTHOR

HEART OF A CHAMPION 331 The Journey Never Ends These days I know that the road to achieving a goal can be so much bigger and more important than the goal itself. I used to think the prize list of winning a World Championship was the driving force behind my desire to be a World Champion. I had seen firsthand the prizes at each of the award ceremonies: the World Championship saddle, buckle, new pair of boots, new hat, the list goes on and on. Most importantly for me, I knew my name would go into the record book alongside all of the other World Champions, compet- itors who I truly admired. The title of World Champion—the prize—escaped me for many years. But what I didn’t realize was that my true prize was already there, right in front of me, all along. By working with my elite inner circle and completing some much- needed internal work, I realized there was more to gain from a World Championship than the prizes awarded on Saturday night. Had it not been for the journey of running down this dream I would have never developed the wonderful relationships I’ve formed along the way with some truly amazing people: Troy, Lari Dee, Julie, Brian, Emily, and most of all, Stan. During my journey, I always seemed to have just the right horse at just the right time to help me move forward. Each of my horses have meant the world to me, from riding Domino at just seven years old, to riding Chester in the fourth round of the World Finals. My journey gave me the opportunity to experience many lessons that have taught me how to transform my mindset, find my voice, take ownership over my life and my decisions, and discover what it really takes to be a World Champion, from the inside out. I’ve learned how to live my life fully, with grit and heart. I’ve learned to show up and refuse to numb or disengage for even one minute. During this journey I experienced exponential personal growth— from everything I’ve overcome, to arriving at a place of embracing

332 DONENE TAYLOR adversity instead of avoiding it, to learning to work with challenge ra- ther than running from it. And perhaps most of all, learning to love myself, no matter the outcome of my efforts. For decades I thought the true prize was the World Championship saddle, buckle, and my name in the WPRA record book. For decades those were the prizes I thought I was wishing for, craving and working towards. But the true prize is the phenomenal journey that brought me here. It’s everything that I’ve learned along the way—and who I’m still becoming. When I first dreamed of becoming a World Champion at 14, I would never have imagined that it would take me 38 years to achieve my goal. Writing this book, there have been many moments when I’ve wanted to scream at my old self, “Wake up! Look at what you are doing, it’s not working!” But I began this journey because I wanted to be a World Champion. And I kept at it until I became one. What kept me going? The love of the sport was part of it. My love for horses, for rodeoing, and for competing. I love the adrenaline rush I get from competing, it gets my blood pumping and my heart pounding! But there was something more than that. There was a deep desire in my heart. At times it was an all-consuming fire, and other times it was a spark. But it was always there, burning. It kept me going. It even saved my life. I think back to Jennifer Haynes’ book, the book that lit the fire within me. I especially like to remember the line that Haynes’ wrote: ‘You always have a chance as long as you don’t quit and walk away….’ When I first dreamed of winning the World, I had no idea what hurdles lay in store. I didn’t know how many times I would stop and start roping again. But with this line in mind, there was something I would never do, and that is quit during a run. Even when things were going bad—tough calves, embarrassing mistakes, knowing I was going to be too slow to place—I never quit in the arena. Now, some people do give up mid-run when things are going bad, and I don’t judge them for it. But that passage in Jennifer’s book would not let me. I also think