Like many, I have some goals for 2012. It's only Feb, so I still have 11 months to make these goals a reality.
1) Become financial independent
2011 was an interesting year for me. I spent a semester away at college, but I hated it. I didn't have my own vehicle, so I couldn't bring my horse up to school with me, and I was miserable. So I decided to come back home. Now I find myself a little stuck. I'm living at home, trying to find a job in this AWFUL economy, and I'm too young to be taken seriously in what I really want to do. So to me, becoming financial independent means getting a job, moving out, paying off my student and car loans, and paying my own bills (phone, horse, ect).
2) Work with Horses
I absolutely love my horse, and my love for my own horse spans to everything else horsey related. I love teaching lessons, training horses, caring for horses, just being around them. Now I do get a little burnt out from lessons once in a while, but that's generally when I'm working with students who have no goal. We aren't working towards anything, and that drives me crazy! I don't care if the goal is 'getting comfortable at the canter' but when I work with a rider, they need a goal. Speaking of goals, I'll get back to my point. I want to be working with horses, whether that means managing some property, or just expanding on my lesson program.
3) Be Healthy
Healthy has many meanings for me. Emotional health means doing what I love to do, and surrounding myself with people who make me happy. Physical health means eating right, and exercising. I have taken on mucking some stalls, and I'm actually excited to shovel horse poops in the blazing hot sun. It only takes about an hour out of my day, I get a little bonding time with some of the horses, and some exercise! Eating right might involve the planting of a garden... I've been dying to do so, but I don't know how long I'll be living here (hopefully not too much longer!) so I have not done so yet.
What are your goals for 2012?
I'm not sure where you live, but did you ever think of going to college within commuting distance of home, so you could still spend time with your horses? I have a lot of friends who went to school for equine to become barn managers, vets, trainers, etc. but they started off at local community colleges for two years to get their core (foundation) classes done and over with. I know how hard it is to get by in this economy as a recent college grad and it's almost impossible! But keep your spirits up, options open, and make as many connections as possible in the equine world if that's what you decide your future holds! :)
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I'm not thinking about college. I've enrolled at community college, and have absolutely no interest in pursuing a degree. The return value for majoring in anything equine related is awful, I would never be able to pay off my debt so I can't justify going to school to do something a degree isn't even required for.
ReplyDelete