For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved horses. I think I’ve ridden a horse almost every day for the last 30 years. When I was a kid I would go to the barn and hang out all day, hoping someone would let me ride their horse. Even when I had my own, I was still begging people to let me train theirs. To me, there’s nothing better than being in the saddle.
The last 20 years I’ve spent riding dressage horses. It can best be described as ‘horse ballet.’ This is a labor-intensive and largely unrewarding sport. It takes 5-7 years to train a horse from basics to the Olympic level of Grand Prix. Most horses don’t make it. You really have to pursue dressage because you love it. They say it takes 2 lifetimes to achieve a real understanding of dressage, and I believe it. Whenever I think I know it all, something comes along and changes it, brings me back, makes me feel like a beginner again.
The only reason I pursued a business degree, and became a CPA was because I thought that would be a well-paid career that would allow me to pursue my passion of riding. It has rewarded me with the financial means and flexibility to follow my dreams.
I approach my business career the same way I approach my horsemanship. I always strive for excellence. Early in my career, I was hired on as an accounting clerk at several different private companies. The accounting departments would be large when I started, and then as time went on, people left. They weren’t replaced. I picked up their job duties, produced outstanding results, and earned promotions. I managed to work the same amount of hours, sometimes even less.
My superiors would notice. I wasn’t always rewarded monetarily, but they were very flexible when I asked for time off to ‘do my horse stuff’ and just told me ‘whatever you want as long as you get your work done.’ It meant so much to me. I always felt I was fairly compensated for my work, I was doing what I loved, and I thought life couldn’t get any better.
Over time I’ve come to recognize my superior organization skills as a valuable asset. I hope to use this blog to share some of my experiences, usually through a story about my horses. Accounting tends to be dry and technical, we like our lists and our procedures. I want it to be dynamic and fun, and I want to help people become more organized so they also have the time to pursue their passion.
My horses have brought me so much joy and contentment in my life. Of course there are heartbreaking setbacks, and times when I get tired and want to give up, but I keep on. It is truly something wonderful.
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