Making dreams come true

I have been a big fan over the last 18 months of dreaming – of pondering life and what I want it to look like, of taking the reins and steering the ship rather than coasting along on the coat tails of expectations and other people’s beliefs. I have spent time figuring out what is really important to me and what is it that I have been put on this planet to do. What do I want to spend my days doing and how can I shape and carve my specific insights and ideas into my reality. It has been an interesting process as I get in touch with a creative side I have boxed and shelved for more than 20 years and allowing myself to fully explore, anything IS possible. Questions like “what would I do if money was no object?” have been helpful drivers along the way to keep me focused on the bigger picture and practicing what I preach – do what you love so you can love what you do.

I found myself in a career in HR, perhaps not through default, but through a passion to help people grow. I honestly get a kick out of seeing people discover their talents but more importantly to follow them. To delve deep inside and find that spark, that little flame that ignites when they discover their passion – as when you do what you love, you are automatically good at. In fact you excel. In my corporate career in HR (primarily learning and development) it was no surprise that when we moved the focus from measuring performance to measuring potential, we saw incredible results. People were channelling their energy into roles and projects that they enjoyed, rather than fighting a losing battle like a square peg in a round hole in roles that they could do but really had no interest in. Or worse still, were doing what they thought they “should” do as it was a good CV filler. Disaster. For both individuals and the organisation – you end up with a bunch of people going about their day through obligation rather than real desire.  A simple switch in roles to where their strengths lay, and surprise surprise, performance soon followed suite. It is not rocket science really, if you like what you do, chances are you will do it better.

I still have the passion to see people grow, I want people to be their best and to realise their own potential. As Mark puts it, everyone has a set of unique gifts and talents, we just need to recoginse them. That is what inspires me, what drives and what I get really excited about. I am working towards doing that, being that and can’t wait to share some of it with you.  Interestingly when you are so clear, when you are focused on your goal with so much determination and that deep sense of knowing that you could not be doing anything else, then things flow. They happen. Already things are starting to flow for me, opportunities to share my knowledge are slowly creeping in and it gives me faith and belief that my dreams are starting to come true.