From Good to Great

Finals day at the NRHA Futurity — we freaking killed it.

Gabriel Borges finished Reserve Champion Level 4, and Rodrigo Nieves won both Level 2 and Level 3 of the 2025 NRHA Futurity. I am extremely proud of them, and I’m proud of myself for doing what I’ve been doing to help get them there.

And still, the question comes up: What do you actually do, Gil?

It’s not always easy to explain what I do in a sentence, so instead, I want to share what I see again and again — what it actually takes to shift from good to great.

The difference between good and great

Good and great are not defined in the show pen.

Good and great are personal experiences. They are stages that all of us go through. Yes, there are also stages of being mediocre or poor, but that’s not the topic here. I’m here to talk about the shift between good and great and the moment when good is no longer enough.

From my perspective, anyone who is fully and truly devoted to a craft becomes good at it. When something becomes part of your life — something you invest time and effort in, day after day, week after week — you build confidence. You develop skills. You learn how to play the game you chose to be part of.

At that stage, life feels pretty good. You enjoy the craft. You feel capable. You feel like you’re reaching the peak of your ability. Most of this happens in private — at home, in training, in your own environment.

This is where “good” lives.

Making the shift

Many people don’t want to stop there. They want to test themselves in public. They want to step into the show pen.This is where the shift from good to great actually begins.

The question becomes: Can I showcase my abilities in a highly competitive, public environment?

Now you must find a way to be great.

Great is not the level you compete in.

Great is the ability to bring your best skills forward when it matters most, even under pressure, under lights, and in front of people.

What greatness actually feels like

The shift from good to great isn’t reserved only for the most talented athletes. It’s part of a personal journey that’s available to all of us.

Greatness is the feeling that your skills go beyond raw talent, yours or your horse’s. It’s the feeling of consistency. It’s the awareness that you’ve moved on from a previous stage and stepped into a higher one, while still remembering how the old level felt.

So the real question becomes: What does it take to get to the next level?

The recipe for greatness

Greatness takes positive change. Real progress requires change — not just one kind, but three:

• Physical change

• Technical change

• Mental change

Physical change has to do with your body. It might be losing weight, getting fitter, becoming stronger, or improving flexibility, mobility, and balance. This kind of change comes from long-term discipline — not just creating the change, but maintaining it and continuing to improve it over time.

Technical change lives in the micro-details. It’s about doing things more consistently and at a higher level. This is one of the hardest changes because it often requires the right conditions: the right horse, the right facility, and an environment that allows mistakes — again and again — until weaknesses turn into strengths.

Mental change begins the moment you are willing to hear uncomfortable truths from a third party. Not letting that information break you, but using it as a compass. This is the shift from needing positive affirmation to craving valuable information. And valuable information can hurt. It usually touches the exact areas we’d rather avoid — whether we like it or not.

The role of people

I’m not claiming I know the way to greatness. But I truly believe that life, both inside and outside competition,  is about positive change. And positive change opens the door to greatness.

What I’ve learned is that people are the real X-factor.

Lessons to go from good to great

So here are my tips from watching riders like Gabriel Borges, Rodrigo Nieves, Leo Kellermann and riders in other disciplines and levels. There’s never one perfect path, but perfect paths for individuals that focus on the three areas of a rider’s physical, technical, and mental readiness.

And you can use these tips to make changes in those three areas.

Tip 1: Surround yourself with the right people. 

Look for people who can help you create positive change in each of these areas. Rarely will one person cover everything. Instead, find individuals you respect for their knowledge in specific fields. This isn’t only about paid professionals, it’s about surrounding yourself with people who help unlock your skills, your vision, and your potential.

Tip 2: Learn to live with discomfort

The second tool isn’t a do or don’t — it’s a state of being: discomfort.

Every elite athlete knows this feeling. Not temporary discomfort for future comfort, but a consistent willingness to step into uncomfortable spaces.

Productive physical training involves discomfort. Living by a certain diet involves discomfort. Allowing someone to truly coach you involves discomfort.

Discomfort, as long as it’s not causing injury, is the right place to be. Not all the time, but you have to consistently and purposely make yourself uncomfortable to adapt.

Tip 3: Let go of time

The last tip is to play the game like you have 100 more years to go.

Let go of deadlines. No one can promise you when you’ll reach your goals — not even yourself. Measuring your progress against a calendar only creates frustration and pulls you away from growth.

Horses live in today. They don’t think about tomorrow. Think like a horse. Be present. Experience the journey with its ups,  downs, and  internal and external changes.

Greatness does not mean winning

Greatness is not the trophy or the title.It’s elevating yourself to a level you’ve never reached before.

It’s not a single moment — it’s a way of life. A way of freeing yourself from just being good and stepping into a greater version of who you can become.

So what I do is help people make the shift. I share the truths related to a person’s mental game, allowing them to change, remove their own barriers to potential, and unlock their greatness.

For Gabriel, Rodrigo, Leo and the many other riders highlighted in my monthly newsletters, this happens through coaching. For others, like you, reading this or learning through the online course, this is done through giving you practical tips, strategies, and advice so you can pursue positive change on your own and achieve your version of greatness.