RIVER RIDGE RANCH RULE #1

In the book, Trails Best Traveled, Jack Granger introduces the men to lesson number one as soon as they arrive at the ranch for their weekend. I'm sure they were looking forward to a relaxed "meet and greet" by the lake. 

What they got was lesson number one in action:

LEARN TO MANAGE THE MENTAL

Jack "creates" an emergency for the ranch that will need the men's help to solve. Whatever expectations they had for their first few moments at the ranch are quickly turned upside down. 

Upon their return a couple hours later, Jack is there to help them understand the purpose and potential life lesson of the adventure. They all reacted to the unexpected start in different ways, some better than others.

Once they get settled in, former college football coach, turned rancher, explains the purpose of the event by summarizing before throwing steaks on the grill for night number one:

 “As a coach, I was guilty of putting huge expectations on myself, my staff, and my players. The fact is, we are guilty of that with our wives, kids, and friends. I have expectations for the pastor’s sermon on Sunday. You name it, and I expect it to go how I think it should. So why is it this is the first thing we are talking about this weekend, you ask? Think about what causes our frustration with expectations. It’s always triggered by an action or outcome that has taken place that we cannot control. We can’t control the action, but we can control our reaction. So, you really can maintain control if you choose to. That’s the major point I need you to hear.”

After more conversation with the men, Jack finishes up by saying:

 “So, what’s the answer to unmet expectations, because they aren’t going away? Focus on what you can control, which is your reaction. The message is this: learn to respond, not react. You have the power to control how you think and feel about every situation. My best advice is learn to expect the unexpected and when things go sideways, don’t let it knock off your horse.”