In the first article of this series, I presented some simple strategies that are motivated by our desire to excel. As we learn new skills, we need to apply and implement them into our lives and businesses so that these become part of our everyday work.

A quick review of these strategies are:

• Dedicating time for study.
• Focusing and minimizing distractions.
• Patiently reviewing goals while holding ourselves accountable.

In this article, I will apply these strategies to the specific skill of learning and studying anatomy.

When I was learning the basics of equine anatomy, it was not easy for me to understand the subject. It took dedicated study with a lot of repetition and help from mentors for me to become well-versed in anatomy. Much of the credit goes to my dad, Doug Butler, who received an emphasis in anatomy while attending graduate school and has sought to pass that along to me and countless others. This background was a great start with an opportunity to ask questions, but does not replace my own commitment to take the time to learn the material.

Now as a teacher, I recognize that everyone learns differently and that the material should be adapted and customized to the individual. However, there are methods that can be applied generally to understand and learn the challenging material of anatomy. I also recognize through my own experience from learning and teaching others that there are no shortcuts to dedicated study. It helps me as I study…