WORDS ~

“Never let go of your dreams, no matter what life throws at you! Keep striving towards your goals and aspirations, and believe in yourself. You’ve got this!”

I am fortunate to know an individual named Monty Roberts, who happens to own a beautiful horse ranch in San Isidro. Mr Roberts has been kind enough to offer me his residence to organise charitable events to raise funds for various youth-at-risk programs.

The last time I was there, he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. As a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.

On a particular evening, he wrote a detailed seven-page paper that explained his aspirations of owning a horse ranch in the future. The write-up contained intricate details of his dream, including a diagram of a 200-acre ranch with the locations of all the buildings, stables, and track. Additionally, he created a well-planned floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would ideally sit on the 200-acre dream ranch.

“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’

“Can you imagine the disappointment of the boy who had a dream when he received an F on his paper? He couldn’t believe it. So, he mustered up the courage to stay after class and ask his teacher, “Why did I receive an F?” It was a brave move, but he just had to know what he did wrong.”

The teacher had concerns about a young boy’s dream of owning a horse ranch, which he had expressed in his paper. The teacher pointed out that fulfilling this dream would require a considerable amount of money, including purchasing land, breeding stock, and covering stud fees. The teacher also that these expenses would be difficult for a young boy from an itinerant family with limited resources to manage. Therefore, the teacher suggested that the student consider a more realistic goal. To help the student improve his grade, the teacher encouraged him to rewrite his paper with a more feasible objective.

“The boy went home and pondered his decision for a long time. He consulted his father, seeking advice on what to do. His father responded, ‘My dear son, this is a decision you must make alone. But, do keep in mind that it is a crucial one.’ After thinking about it for a week, the boy decided to submit the same paper without making any changes.”

Have you heard this inspiring quote before? “You can keep the F, and I’ll keep my dream,” said someone who refused to let failure get in the way of their dreams. It’s a great reminder to never give up on what we truly want, no matter what obstacles we maybe face.

Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.”

Have you ever been told that your dreams are too big or too small? Well, let me tell you something – don’t let anyone steal your dreams! No matter how big or small they may seem, they are YOUR dreams and you have the power to make them a reality. Just follow your heart and work hard to achieve what you want. Remember, there’s no such thing as an impossible dream. So go ahead and make your dreams come true – you’ve got this!