No, this isn’t a post about building a snowman. What would I know about that? (I’ve probably only ever scraped a tiny portion of snow together twice in my life in rough semblance of a round man.) It’s about the allure of having something great to look forward to. What a boost it can give to your days.

I pondered this today, at work, when I was showing my picture of where I had planned to stay in the Outer Hebrides (a charming little white croft house) when I go in May and June this year. A fellow workmate said, “Oh, I could NEVER do that!” She had such a sense of finality and sadness in her tone that I eyeballed her and said, “Why not?” We talked it back and forth, and eventually she had to agree, that with some planning and effort, it might be something conceivable after all.

Whether she does the sort of adventure I love and am looking forward to, is not the point. The point is, she needs to dream a little. 

When I did a small business course about ten years ago, part of the curriculum was taking stock of exactly what we wanted out of our new businesses. As mine took shape and I started to make money from it, I met similar minded folk who all shared something in common with me: a dream that had been put on paper and aimed for. My ongoing meetings with my business mentor, Barbara, were always encouraging and inspirational. Not just about the business, but about planning out the next one year of my life, with some longer term goals thrown in for good measure. It is hard to put those things down on paper but it is SO good at focussing your attention on the things that matter to you.

Really, it’s something anyone can do: DREAM. Ask yourself what you are truly passionate about, and if the answer is ‘nothing,’ then start a determined search through all of the resources at your disposal to find what it is that ‘pushes your buttons.’

For me, lately, it is a desire to travel and to experience a culture that I feel was the backbone of my family history. And because I love words and pictures, I want to put that experience down in book form so that others might enjoy it. THAT ticks all the boxes for me. So once again I find myself here:

A crisp fresh map of Scotland before me, and my pens and Lonely Planet Guide out. I think the planning and looking forward to something almost equals the actual experience. 

Who among us has not overheard or sat next to, a person excited about something they are doing, or looking forward to, or making? What a boost of positivity it is! Look at what has happened because Sam Heughan, already working in the field of his skill and passion, also shared his love of the outdoors and fitness with us. One man, using his celebrity to benefit not just a good cause, but so many people who really needed a boost to get up and going health and fitness-wise.

I’m lucky enough to have a good number of positive, keen, talented friends, and when I think of each one I am aware that a quality they share is that they feel excited about something. Be it cooking, or felting, or interior design, or writing romance novels, or costuming – as I listen to them, I feel the sap rising within me to take hold of life again and join them. I’m incredibly influenced by them all. (Please forgive all the metaphors).

Right now, a few of us are planning our overseas trip in May. It is nerve-wracking, exciting, scary, costly, time-consuming, but above all, EXHILARATING. I hope I can capture the excitement as I write about it later, for any who want to share the adventure vicariously. Who knows, it might inspire a few who didn’t think they could do it, to go out and DO IT TOO.