Living the Dream

Anybody who knows me will have heard me say that phrase many times.  Often when I’m approached and asked how my day is going I’ll repond with ‘Fantastic! Living the Dream!’ which generally gets a chuckle or two.  Though the more I think of it, the more I realise that I am.

Now I’m exactly the same as the next guy.  Some days I like a lot more than others.  And some days I wonder why I bother.  But one thing I can honestly say with my hand on my heart is that I’ve never stopped dreaming.  And the greatest gift I’ve been given in life is the drive, ambition and curiosity to work out how to make dreams come true.  Because dreams fascinate me and push me forwards.

You see my dream was always to be able to inspire people.  My dream was always to take myself as far as I can go because I believed that would inspire people more than telling them how far they can go.  My dream was always to believe in myself enough that it could become infectious and others could believe in themselves.  My dream was to spread good news and be able to implement change with one small random act of kindness at a time.  My dream was to get to the top of the highest mountain so I could look back and say ‘Hey, it really isn’t that bad you should come and join me up here’.  My dream was to be more than I can be to show what is possible and then share that with someone else so they could be more than they ever knew they could be.  Sounds idealogical and it is.  But that was my dream.  And like all dreams it was once very fragile.

So I read, and I studied and I met new people.  And I tried things.  And I failed so tried some other things.  I realised that I would need some more support and I got laughed at when I shared my ideas.  I went to the people I thought could help the most and they didn’t see any value in me and didn’t want to share their resources with me.  I trained to become a coach.  But nobody wanted to be coached by me as they felt I hadn’t acheived anything.  So I took on a few challenges.  I failed.  I took on something monumental thinking acheiving it would inspire people.  But I failed.  I quit my job to MAKE it happen whether anyone believed in me or not.  I got chewed up, spat out, burned out and left flat broke.  So I went back and got a job.

But the surprising thing is the dream never once changed.  I feel like I’ve acheived nothing yet learned so much and come so far at the same time.  And all the struggles and failure has only reminded me that it was all worth it.  Because it really was my dream and the energy of dreams never really fade away.  They somehow find that bit more that you need just when you need it to dig in and see it through.  I actually feel like I’ve done my own apprenticeship in chasing my own dream.  Something that maybe nobody else will recognise or understand.  An apprenticeship of sorts that has allowed me the right to chase my dreams and taught me invaluable skills like persistence, determination and self motivation that you can’t put a price on.  I feel like my attitude is mine to keep forever now and nobody can take away from me what I have become.  And my dream is no longer fragile.  It has strengthened and I have the courage to share it with conviction now.  Because I’m serious and it really is my dream.  And I want others to feel the same about theirs so they can go out and claim them.

So over the years I developed what is now Team Warrior.

‘Team Warrior is all about being the best that we can be so we can empower others to be the best that they can be’

Team Warrior is essentially a fundraising team that has chosen to get 100% behind Project 65 -The Veterans Charity and everything they do.  And the reason is simple.  There is a HUGE resonance between my dream and the vision of Project 65.  After years and years of experiencing the wrong people in positions of influence it was a breath of fresh air to find a cause which lived and breathed its core values.  Supporting the serving, retired and related people of our armed services is not something that Project 65 do.  It’s who they are.  And that is a big thing for me.  I know exactly with clarity how my effort makes a difference and I’ve never been more proud to fundraise in my life.  And as you can imagine I’ve done a bit in my time with all my enthusiasm to really make a difference.

Which leads up to this moment.  Team Warrior are now entered into the Forces March where we’ll be taking on the 134 mile route over 5 days.  In our own way we do inspire people and we do support people to dream a little bigger in their own lives.  And I genuinely feel like our efforts ARE making a difference and isn’t an ego-driven effort to get noticed.  I regularly get emails and messages from people inspired to step up.  I hear from people who have a challenge and just want some support and I hear from people who’ve pushed and pushed and feel like they’ve nothing left to give.  And being able to give back and support these people to step up is my dream.  And it is happening.

Project 65 is the real deal and nothing happens by coincidence alone.  There is a reason Team Warrior found this amazing cause and it is only positive.  Project 65 have opened up an opportunity for me to live my dream and I’m loving every minute.

Please help us hit our £15k target in anyway that you can.  Throw in a pound, tweet about us, facebook about us, share our links and if you like our blogs then tell your friends.  And if you want to do something more but don’t know what then simply get in touch.  I know exactly how you can help so drop me a message at dean@warriorcoaching.co.uk

http://www.justgiving.com/teamwarrior

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