At around six years old I remember the sunshine beaming onto my face as I watched the girl on the pony being led round the paddock. We were at the children’s farm at Edinburgh Zoo I was so excited and it was nearly my turn for a pony ride.
I kept a very close eye on the girl leading the pony, how lucky was she getting to work with horses every day. I decided that’s what I wanted to do, to walk ponies round a paddock and watch the excitement on the girls and boys faces as they got their short rides the pony.
Finally, it was my turn and as I was lifted up onto the pony’s back, I felt the warmth from her body and joy of being so high up, seeing the world from a higher viewpoint, feeling both safe and excited as I sat on her back and she walked slowly round in a circle.
I smiled back at the other children watching, just as I had done, waiting patiently for their turn.
“Mum, how old to I have to be to lead the ponies?”
“Sixteen, Jane, you have to be sixteen to be able to work at any job” and from that moment and for several years later, I longed to be sixteen, to be grown up enough to work with the ponies.
When sixteen did arrive, my ambitions had moved from walking them round a paddock to becoming a horse vet, and yet I chose to work in a hotel on a Saturday rather than brave the Scottish weather on a hilltop paddock!
My vet dream also changed when I realised that we are all mortal beings and my vision of keeping all the horses in the world alive forever could never actually happen.
The thought of having to put any of them to sleep or dealing with the sick animals made me give up on the idea of ever becoming a vet. But my love for horses endures and I ride and trek as often as I can.
Take yourself back in time, think of your little self and recall the dreams, desires and ambitions you held as a child.
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• Why was that so important to the little you?
• How close to that is the work you do now?
• Are you happy?
Perhaps, like me your ambition has turned into a hobby.
Perhaps you have been disciplined in pursuit of your dreams and achieved all that you once pictured in your imagination.
Maybe your dream turned into a nightmare and you find yourself far removed from the joy and excitement your ideal job would provide.
It’s never too late to make changes within yourself, your life and your work. Recall the dreams of little you, and decide if you would like to make a little change, just one small change to your current situation, to start moving you closer towards your dreams.
Remember the wise words of Lao-tzu
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Every journey, long or short, begins with a single step.
Being true to our childhood dreams, making them come true in a way that also fulfils our adult self is very important in living a life of joy. It’s a necessary step we all need to take.
In fact, I’m just going to go book a trek to relive my joy in horse riding.
When I Grow Up I Want To Be a Vet, or a Nurse, or….
I kept a very close eye on the girl leading the pony, how lucky was she getting to work with horses every day. I decided that’s what I wanted to do, to walk ponies round a paddock and watch the excitement on the girls and boys faces as they got their short rides the pony.
Finally, it was my turn and as I was lifted up onto the pony’s back, I felt the warmth from her body and joy of being so high up, seeing the world from a higher viewpoint, feeling both safe and excited as I sat on her back and she walked slowly round in a circle.
I smiled back at the other children watching, just as I had done, waiting patiently for their turn.
“Mum, how old to I have to be to lead the ponies?”
“Sixteen, Jane, you have to be sixteen to be able to work at any job” and from that moment and for several years later, I longed to be sixteen, to be grown up enough to work with the ponies.
When sixteen did arrive, my ambitions had moved from walking them round a paddock to becoming a horse vet, and yet I chose to work in a hotel on a Saturday rather than brave the Scottish weather on a hilltop paddock!
My vet dream also changed when I realised that we are all mortal beings and my vision of keeping all the horses in the world alive forever could never actually happen.
The thought of having to put any of them to sleep or dealing with the sick animals made me give up on the idea of ever becoming a vet. But my love for horses endures and I ride and trek as often as I can.
Take yourself back in time, think of your little self and recall the dreams, desires and ambitions you held as a child.
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• Why was that so important to the little you?
• How close to that is the work you do now?
• Are you happy?
Perhaps, like me your ambition has turned into a hobby.
Perhaps you have been disciplined in pursuit of your dreams and achieved all that you once pictured in your imagination.
Maybe your dream turned into a nightmare and you find yourself far removed from the joy and excitement your ideal job would provide.
It’s never too late to make changes within yourself, your life and your work. Recall the dreams of little you, and decide if you would like to make a little change, just one small change to your current situation, to start moving you closer towards your dreams.
Remember the wise words of Lao-tzu
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Every journey, long or short, begins with a single step.
Being true to our childhood dreams, making them come true in a way that also fulfils our adult self is very important in living a life of joy. It’s a necessary step we all need to take.
In fact, I’m just going to go book a trek to relive my joy in horse riding.
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