What am I going to do with my life?

   This is a question I've been asking myself lately.  Not in a negative way at all.  I haven't been sitting around despairing about where my life will go and how to find something useful to do.  Rather I've been looking at life and all its opportunities and wondering how in the world I will choose the one that will help others and make me happy.  I want to do something to help people but my gifts are with animals.  After a lot of time spent thinking and comparing I've finally combined everything I love into a "perfect" future for me.    So, here goes my best in describing what my plans are for the future.

Of course, there are always things that could completely ruin or change these plans.  Stock market crash for example.  (This week was apparently the worst week in four years.)  Zombie apocalypse, government population control.  But, I'll never have a chance to make a change or help anyone if I sit around worrying about everything that could prevent me and in the process prevent myself.

  My plans may seem too elaborate.  They could have been much simpler if it were not for my strong ambition and drive for power.  I'm fine with a simple job at first, but as time goes on I want to increase my efficiency by employing people and branching out.  I never want to be someone with a strictly paperwork job.  I want to be involved in the bigger jobs and accessible to the public.

•    The revenue production of the whole operation will be based in a horse boarding operation.   This will be a full care operation with grain, blanketing, turnout, and possibly even vet visits included in the board.  This will be run by a barn manager, grooms, and probably an on site trainer.  
•   On the side will be a board and train facility for dogs.  This may be for the average dog owner or directed towards training service dogs.  This will hopefully produce some revenue as well.  I would employ caretakers to care for the dogs needs while I do the training sessions with the dogs and possibly work with a co-trainer.
•   The most important part to me will be an animal assisted therapy and rehabilitation center.   This will be for helping people recover from emotional and possibly physical trauma through animals.  I will probably spend most of my time managing this.  I wanted this to be a non-profit which is why I decided to combine it with my other interests.  We would need someone qualified in counseling psychology to help people directly.  I have not yet decided if I would like to become qualified myself or employ someone else.  If I use hippotherapy to help people recover physically I would need a physical therapist to work with.

  There are two basic types of animal assisted therapy that I would like to combine in my operation for optimal recovery in both time and fullness.  The first type involves trained therapy animals that go with patients during their recovery process and are a great emotional support.  The second type involves patients working with animals that are going through similar trauma and helping each other recover.  This helps people through their recovery because they have a sense of usefulness and the benefit of seeing someone else struggle through recovery.  The second type also helps animals recover and be placed into homes.  And often the people who help them through their recovery are the ones who adopt them and they go on helping each other after therapy.  

•   Since I would like to apply both types of animal assisted therapy my property would also function as an animal shelter.  We would accept all sorts of animals that need rehabilitation before they can be placed in homes.  As a trainer I would offer direction and the patients would offer support until they are recovered enough to be adopted out.