I have a friend named Monty Roberts. He has let me use his horse ranch to put on events to raise money for youth at risk programs. Last time I was there he introduced me by saying, "I want to tell you why I let you use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be when he grew up." "That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of owning a horse ranch someday. He put all his heart into the project and wrote about his dream in great detail. He even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of the buildings, stables and the track, and even a detailed floor plan for a 4000-square-foot house on it." "The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later ,he received a large red "F" on his paper with a note, 'See me after class.' The boy went to see the teacher and asked why. The teacher told him there was no way for a young boy like him to do that because owning a horse ranch required much money and resources, and then added 'If you'll rewrite his 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 to do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it's a very important decision for you.'" "Finally, a week later, the boy turned in the same paper without any change and stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'" "I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what. Why did the boy turn in the same paper without any change?
Because he made up his mind to stick to his dream. Because his father stopped him from rewriting it. Because he was angry about his teacher's words. Because he had put too much of his heart into it.