At this point in my life I have come to learn that I must be wary. I must be wary of those well-meaning people who seek to dissuade me from my passion, in order to save me from my fears. These people come in all shapes and sizes. They are my family, my friends, even the casual acquaintance on the street, who, whereupon finding out that I intend to make a living with horses, with a simpering smile, tell me that, although me dream is very nice, I should really plan on doing something else, something more practical, and “play” with horses on the weekends as a hobby. I all these people, I know have my best interest at heart, but every time I hear this advice, my heart rejects it as false. This advice is nothing less than the complete destruction of my passion. The advice they give is practical, I know, but is none the less painful.

I refuse to be unhappy. Even if following my dreams means I will end in failure, I will follow them all the more steadfastly. I refuse to be part of a culture where monetary wealth is placed irrevocably above that of true happiness. A culture where true happiness is, in fact mistakenly, tied to that of monetary wealth. If I try and fail at my dreams, and if I try and fail again, and continue doing so until I die in a shallow pauper’s grave, than I still have succeeded. I will not spend my entire life as the rest of this society does, in misery and discontent. I will hold my head up, even if I am forced onto the streets, for I will know that I tried with every fiber of my being to do what makes me happy, and there is no shame in that. I will not heed the advice of others. I will not allow my dreams to be caged, fettered, and beaten into submission. I will not sit at the desk of a “real job” even if I can support myself with it. I will not waste 50 years of life so that I might possibly enjoy the last 20. I will take every waking, tiresome, painful, stressful moment of my life, and I will enjoy it. The pain of failure is nothing compared to the shame of giving up, giving in, letting go, or refusing to even try. At least I will have tried.

If I fall into poverty, so be it. Everyone, those who know me, and those who don’t warn me that I will struggle. They warn I won’t be able to do achieve my ambitions, that I will fail, and that I should just give it up before I even try it. They tell me to change, give up my dreams, and live life as they do, in this state of numb and unfeeling discontent we call “normal”. If I have to live hand to mouth my entire life in order to squeak by doing what I love, I will do so and accept my fate with open arms.