By Jason Schultz
Photo – Jason Schultz
Dreams.
They come in all shapes and sizes. Little dreams, big dreams. Some dreams include finding happiness in life or dreaming to make yourself a better person.
A year ago, I wasn’t dreaming and I had no straight path to success. A year later, I can say my path success is more direct. NASCAR has been a passion of mine since I was seven and writing has been a passion of mine since I was in second grade. I never thought of combining the two until this year, and putting my two passions together created endless possibilities.
Before this past NASCAR season started, I had the opportunity to write about the Camping World Truck Series for a small blog. After I began writing and writing and writing, I had fallen in love with writing more than ever before. Prior to the Daytona 500, I was writing for my own site which I loved. I enjoyed the idea of writing about NASCAR and I dragged that enjoyment along for a ride. The ride ended when after years of searching and wondering I finally figured out what I enjoyed in life and might like to make a career of it once I finished school. Writing about NASCAR was what I was doing for enjoyment, but I thought that one day I could make a career out of it and that’s when I began chasing my dream.
Throughout the NASCAR season I wrote articles, recaps, previews, etc. and I loved doing it so much. For a person to stick to their dream they need to have boosts or compliments from other people and that makes the person following their dream want to achieve their dream that much more. I was fortunate enough to receive compliments throughout the season about my writing and that’s what kept the fire inside me going. Writing about NASCAR wasn’t just a passion anymore; it had turned into a dream. A dream to one day be writing on the big levels and be able to be so great at it, much like Marty Smith is today.
One of the biggest compliments I received throughout the season was by Samantha Busch. I had recently gone to a Kyle Busch appearance and talked to Samantha for what felt like forever. Samantha knew who I was and knew about my dream and she even knew who I wanted to be like, Marty Smith. A day later, I wrote an article describing my encounter with Samantha and Kyle, but also Marty, who I had met in Charlotte back in August. Once I had written that article and put it out in the world, compliments from lots of people started rolling in.
The best complement I could have received came from the lady who had inspired me to write articles, Samantha Busch. Samantha responded to a tweet with the article link and said “You’re so talented I have no doubt you’ll make it big!” That was the compliment that inspired me to keep chasing my dream and never let my dream fade away. If Samantha has faith that I can chase my dream, I should never give up on my dream.
Once the first season of writing about my passion and my dream concluded, I thought how much I would like to continue chasing my dream and keep on writing throughout my life. Being only fourteen now, I have at least four years until I can really come close to achieving my dream. Each day until I achieve my dream, I will be doing all I can to make my dream come true. An inspirational quote, regarding chasing your dreams, that I follow is “Keep on dreamin’ even if it breaks your heart” the quote is from a song that is sung by the Eli Young Band. That quote is what inspires me to chase my dream and I never plan on my dream breaking my heart, I won’t let it happen. Chasing my dream is what I expect to do throughout the years to come.