Dreams don't always look like you expect.  

My dream growing up was to be on the West End stage performing in musicals. I had this Vision of what life would be like - spending time in amazing venues, picking and choosing who I worked with, living a life of variety and having the pure joy of doing what I loved and to get paid for it. Even though the West End was the dream, I told myself that I didn't care where or how I did it, as long as I got to live my life as an actor, singer, dancer.  

After a decade of training to make this dream a reality I finally went out there to earn my living doing it! Dreams about to become reality I thought...  

Oh my days I was wrong.  

The reality was that most of my time was spent not performing, but instead I was the tea girl! And when I was performing it was AWFUL. Sometimes performing 3 shows per day, in different locations, also DRIVING between venues (yes I was also the driver!)... and all for less than minimum wage when you worked out the hourly rate! Auditions were sparse. Rejections were frequent. Oh and so much for a life of 'variety' when you are literally doing the same show over and over again.  

I was really unhappy.  

Fast forward another decade.  

This photo was taken on a recent holiday of ours to Cyprus (on our 15th week of holiday this year!), of a really good singer performing in a bar.  

It made me so grateful. So grateful that I had admitted to myself when I did that it wasn't the life that I wanted, and reassessed and moved on to a new dream. I'm grateful that I failed.  

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would have the Freedom I have right now.  

Location Freedom - to be able to live anywhere, to take as many holidays as I could ever wish. Creative Freedom - to choose the thoughts and ideas that I wish to share with the world. Time Freedom - to do the things that I love, when I wish to be able to do them. Freedom to choose those that I work with - and I must say they are brilliant and lovely people!  

I wouldn't have had these things if I had succeeded at the first dream.  

It's not failure, it's just feedback.  

So set your Vision, but if it doesn't pan out like you imagine, then tweak and adjust. Keep questioning yourself about what you love and keep working until that is your day-to-day reality.  

If you ever feel like you are 'failing' then just know it's probably the best thing that you can do for you future self to learn from it, pick yourself back up and get on with formulating a new plan. 

In the mood for more strategic thinking?

There's plenty more where that came from...