(Closed) Finding your passion: Do you follow your heart or your head?

posted 4 years ago in Career
Post # 1
Member
1400 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: June 2015

I am feeling so torn right now. My heart and mind are being pulled in such different directions and I have no clue what to do. I have sat around feeling entirely stumped for like 48 hours. It’s gloomy in my head. I want to take a chance but I have no clue..is it right at all??

Backstory (long or this won’t make sense)

When I was 5, I got my first pony. We lived on an acreage an the rest of the family rode so I got this little black pony named, yup you guessed it, Beauty. I was hooked. When we moved to town I was crushed. The horses were boarded like half an hour away and life changed. We still saw them but we saw them less. I was officially hooked though. Too late to go back now.

Over my life, I kind of went back and forth between really involved and not so involved. But everyday that I dont do it, I miss it. 

I worked at a horse retail store for 3 years when I was 20-23 and it rekindled the fire. Horses are really my passion but I had accepted when I was pretty young that a person couldn’t make a living off of it.

So flash forward to now. I just finished a certificate to work with people with special needs, am employed and basically and dying for something new already. There’s a whole post about that somewhere 😛 I have been searching for anything and everything and its getting me in a rut. 

And then a couple days ago, I found an ad seeking a good horse person so apprentice on a horse retreat in exchange for room and board. Basically do my dream job (ride/train horses on a beautiful, very natural oriented ranch) all summer in exchange for living free.

If I was 19 I would jump in it in a heartbeat! I know the lady through my job at the store and I am fairly certain I could get it. The catch is that I’m not 19. I’m an adult, we have a ‘home'(aka tiny basement suite) a Fiance and 2 cats. 

At first glance it makes NO sense. But there are some other factors. Fiance is goin to learn to drive truck starting Monday and will be gone a TON. I will barely see him and I am miserablr enough as it is. When my man is never here, it’s gonna really  suck the big one. But if I could go do this and he went and did that, we could both live mostly free for the summer. I woulnt be making money but room and board is worth a fair chunk and he will be earning a wage and probably sleeping in the travel trailer. If we could give up the basement suite and save the $800 a month it could be highly advantageous. 

Its a HUGE change though. Fiance is extremely hesitant about me going. Part of me understands an part of me thinks he’s being greedy. I don’t want to be alone all summer. But he wants somewhere to come back to and rest and what not and I get that for sure. The thought of not even having my own basement suite at almost 25 freaks me out too. 

But this is my absolute dream. I want to do it SO badly that it makes me ache inside. 

I feel so very torn. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know how to handle this and I don’t know where to go from here. I am 100% stuck. 

Any insight? I know there’s no magical answer but I’d love ti hear an unbiased opinion!

Post # 2
Member
7311 posts
Busy Beekeeper
  • Wedding: October 2011 - Bed & Breakfast

So you want your Fiance to live, full time, out of a truck in order for you to go live somewhere else? If I am understanding that correctly, I don’t think that is a good idea.

If I were in your shoes, I’d look into a program that belends your training in special education and your love for horses. In our neighborhood there are 2 horse rescue farms that have educational programs for school children. Something like that would be a good blend. There are also animal therapy programs that use horses as part of therapy for special needs persons. Another blend of both. I think something like that, with an actual paycheck that will allow you to have a home for Fiance to return to as often as he is able, is a better path to pursue. And if you don’t have anything like this available, then maybe there is an opportunity for future exploration. If nothing out there is what you want, then maybe you need to create it for yourself.

Post # 3
Member
1564 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: October 2013

As an equine professional with a degree I can tell you this life isn’t easy. It’s all good to say “follow your heart” but when the bills come rolling in you need to actually be making money. If you want to work with horses, there are MUCH better options than working just in exchange for rent. Keep looking I bet if you waited a better opportunity will come along. Also check out YardandGroom.com, they’re a great resource for horse jobs. 

 

I say use your specialization and work with a hippotherapy group, blend the two passions. You’d love it! Lots of therapeutic riding places need people who not only know horses but know people with special needs. If you want riding, just browse craigslist till you find something. There’s always someone looking for a groom or exercise rider. Don’t give up on it! Just don’t make such a drastic decision.

Post # 4
Member
1400 posts
Bumble bee
  • Wedding: June 2015

lovekiss:  oh goodness no, not out of a truck! That’d be… Just plain rude! Theres a 26′ trailer not to mention my parents have a whole house that I’m sure they’d let us take over a piece of. It’s huge and they wouldnt charge use. we live in FI’s basement suite right now so it’s not exactly a huge leap! 

Equine_Breeder:  I wish it was that simple. We have one therapeutic riding place in our town, my mom actually was an instructor for a while and we volunteered for many years. They have like.. 2 paid employees, everyone else volunteers.

You’re both right though, and I know it’s definitely not the economical decision. It just seems so appealing and so.. Me.. It’s hard to walk away from. 

Post # 5
Member
141 posts
Blushing bee

I don’t have much experience in regards to horses or truck driving – but in this situation, the best advice that I can give is: communicate. As long as you and your SO communicate on what your short and long term dreams, wants, and goals are; then I don’t see any reason as to why your both can’t succeed in anything that you do. Good luck. I hope everything works out.

Post # 6
Hostess
11697 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
  • Wedding: May 2014

lalalyanne:  curious – is there somewhere you can work or volunteer that gives you both?  Where I’m from there’s an organization called Rainbow Riders – they work with special needs kids (maybe adults too) with horses as a form of therapy…Is there an organization like this around you, might be a way to get a little bit of the best of both.

Post # 7
Member
1797 posts
Buzzing bee

You say that there’s only one farm in your area that does therapy, but would it be possible for you to relocate? I only bring this up because my dad is a truck driver, and he could live pretty much anywhere in the country. We live about 10 minutes from the company he works for, but there are people who live five states away because as an over the road truck driver you’re going to end up pretty much everywhere anyway.

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