Rip Cole’s Yellowstone Cowboy Wisdom

Rip Cole is one of the main characters of the Yellowstone show and is the foreman of the  ranch. Hardcore. Capable of incredible violence. Brutal when he needs to be. He does what he needs to do to protect his ranch, crew and family. A real man. To be so physically and mentally strong. A leader that his people respect. 

Yet he is kind and warm with his loved ones. He takes care of them. Incredibly loyal. And he is surprisingly wise and prosaic. He is calm, cool and collected, especially in a crisis. Something I aspire to one day instead of reverting to anxiety and anger. 

He is very “Adlerian”, which I think is the way we progress in life. There was a conversation he had with his troubled wife Beth. 

“Beth: Do you ever think about us? 

Rip: Us is all I ever think about.

Beth: When we were kids. You ever think about that? 

Rip: I think about now. I think about tomorrow. I don’t give much time to yesterday. 

Beth: Yesterday is what eats me. 

Rip: Maybe yesterday is what eats everybody. That’s why I don’t think about it.”

At age 50 I realize I need to just let go of the past sometimes. Reliving bad memories, old insults and indignities. My grudges drive me way too much to be healthy. It leads to unnecessary angst and conflict. Moving on is the right and smart move. 
Rip said once: “You know what, I never think about what happens a year from now or ten years from now. I always worried about today with an eye on tomorrow.”

I know I should be more like Rip, focussed on the present, with an awareness and view of the future.