Over the last couple of weeks I have had 3 different people – unexpectedly and from all walks of my life, drop into our conversations that I have inspired them to “dream a little bigger”. This touched my heart and made me so grateful for opening up to people and talking real talk – sharing the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly; all the facets of my life.
As a business owner we often ‘overthink’ what we share and what we don’t; especially in these days of social media. We compartmentalise our lives and to a certain degree this is required to protect our privacy but often not sharing the whole story denies someone being inspired and ‘sparked’ by our own unique story. This morning over breakfast I was contemplating this as I thought of how inspired I have been to dream a little bigger by all the people who have shared their stories with me; whether that be fellow farmers, mentors, authors, friends, casual conversations with strangers – the one thing that everyone who has inspired me has in common is that they have spoken from the heart: real, raw and unedited …… this has been the common the thread. To paraphrase the words of my Yoga & Somatic Mediation teacher, Melissa West, “real people in real time”.
As a child, I grew up in a working class family in a council estate in a rather rough area of Scotland. Not so rough as some, but rougher than what most of us would envisage for ourselves or our children. My childhood, however, was the breeding ground for my many strengths I possess as an adult. The very strengths that have enabled me and by example encouraged those around me to “dream a little bigger”. My mum gave me the greatest gift of all – she taught me my life mantra “Every time you think you can’t, remember that you can”. These 10 little words are the foundation of my success and are worth their weight in gold.
I was the first person in my family to go to university. I was the first person in my family to move to a foreign country. I was the first person in my family to speak two languages (English and German) fluently. I was the first person in my family to marry someone not born in the U.K. I was the first person in my family to leave city life behind for a country adventure…… and on a lighter note I was the first person in my family to own and drive a Mercedes as their car of choice; to fly first class; to practice yoga and meditation. All of which contributed to or are the fruits of me “Dreaming a little bigger”. What are some practical tips for dreaming a little bigger ?
Ω Not taking no for answer.
Ω When one door shuts, opening another to see what is through that door.
Ω When one path becomes blocked, changing tracks and following a new path.
All of the above help us dream a little bigger.
When Daniel and I met 23 years ago all we had were our dreams. We dreamed big, we worked hard, we saved hard, we played hard; and step by step the seeds of our dreams became a reality. I stumbled across the photo accompanying this blog yesterday while sorting and filing photos on my computer – our Inaugural Autumn Bull Sale which hard to believe was a mere 10 months ago!
So today I encourage each, and every one of you to dream a little bigger as we reflect on the year gone past and dream the essence of what you most desire in 2018 as we let our dreams float out into the world for realisation.
Let’s all dream a little bigger.
We sure are, as we focus on our Second Autumn Bull Sale – and we look forward to seeing each and every one of you join us on the day to make it a sensational second sale!
