KEEP YOUR DREAM.....

I read this story and wanted you to read and get inspired
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use
his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for 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.
When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when
he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse
ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre
ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a
detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 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.’
“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an
F?’
“The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money.
You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot
of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later
you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher
added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should
do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think
it is a very important decision for you.’ “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned
in the same paper, making no changes at all.
He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
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.”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.”

I HAVE LEARNED.....

I’ve learned-
that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The
rest is up to them.
I’ve learned-
that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.
I’ve learned-
that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I’ve learned-
that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you
must forgive them for that.
I’ve learned-
that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I’ve learned-
that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.
I’ve learned-
that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know
something.
I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.
I’ve learned-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I’ve learned-
that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I’ve learned-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see
them.
I’ve learned-
that you can keep going long after you can’t.
I’ve learned-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I’ve learned-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I’ve learned-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there
had better be something else to take its place.
I’ve learned-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless
of the consequences.
I’ve learned-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I’ve learned-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I’ve learned-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help
you get back up.
I’ve learned-
that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right
to be cruel.
I’ve learned-
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true
love.
I’ve learned-
that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they
don’t love you with all they have.
I’ve learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve
learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
I’ve learned-
that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more
humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.
I’ve learned-
that your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t
related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families
aren’t biological.
I’ve learned-
that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive
yourself.
I’ve learned-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I’ve learned-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are
responsible for who we become.
I’ve learned-
that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.
I’ve learned-
that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just
because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.
I’ve learned-
that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I’ve learned-
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I’ve learned-
that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will
hurt in the process.
I’ve learned-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will
find the strength to help.
I’ve learned-
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I’ve learned-
that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I’ve learned-
that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s
feelings, and standing up for what you believe.
I’ve learned-
that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will
never forget how you made them feel.