Catch Me If You Can

Dream Chasing is a word on my heart today as everywhere I look, I see people at different stages of life chasing various types of dreams. ‘You’re never too old to dream’, we are told; ‘You’re never too old to start’, others say. And they are right.

If our dreams could speak back to us, what would they say? ‘Catch me if you can, catch me if you dare, catch me if you will, catch me if you really want to, catch me if you are willing to pay the price….’ are some of things I imagine the dreams whisper back to us.

The ball is always in our court once we are given dreams and visions as they come with an unwritten instruction of, ‘do with it what you want’. It’s like being given a wrapped present; the moment it gets handed over, it’s now over to you to unwrap, explore and take advantage of it. Alternatively you can leave it unwrapped or perhaps re-gift it to someone else but it’s down to you the moment it’s given.

I believe that when you are given a dream, all you need to fulfil and accomplish it is already within you or is available to you though you might need to open your eyes to recognise their positionings. The questions are: ‘Will you trust and have enough faith to move?’ And will you be willing to diligently and consistently work for that dream until you see it manifested?

Many people are only just hearing about the work of Dame Elizabeth Anionwu CBE who has won too many awards to count for her work to change the face of multi ethnic communities’ healthcare experiences in the UK and beyond as no doubt her work has inspired others who have gone on to do great things.

Lord Victor O Adebowale CBE said, ‘her tireless work to ensure that people affected by sickle cell disease and thalassaemia get the support they need has touched the lives of thousands.’

She had a dream as a young girl to become a nurse inspired by the excellent health care experience that she got from a nurse, but along the way, her dream to do more came in the form of seeing a pain and a problem to address. She saw the inequality in the care that was given to certain backgrounds and the impact of the lack of understanding of a condition that was only suffered by certain ethnic groups.

Her dream got bigger than being a nurse; she became a ‘champion’ and a fighter for sufferers of sickle cell and I for one couldn’t thank her enough.

There is a Florence Nightingale plaque in Harrogate, and every time I walk past it, I am humbled by the difference a dream can make. Born, in 1820, at a time when her only expected duty was to marry a man, raise children and keep a home, she chose to go into nursing. Against the grain, she led a team of nurses to staff an overseas hospital of the British army during the Crimean war.

She improved the survival rates for wounded soldiers, reducing the mortality rate from 34% to 2% within six months; she is revered as the founder of modern nursing and especially nursing education.

‘Catch me if you can’, is what every dream cries out and when people catch them, lives, nations and cultures can be and are transformed.

There is no doubt that both of these women faced challenges and tough oppositions jeopardising their dreams, they would have faced distractions, discouragement, disappointments and disheartening moments but their results tell me they kept going until they saw their dreams fulfilled and their legacies set up in an enduring manner.

Deal with your distractions

It’s easy to get distracted when chasing your dreams. Sometimes you distract yourself by the choices you make and sometimes other people attempt to distract you by putting ‘good or bad’ obstacles in your way.

Yes, you want to maintain relationships throughout your life but there are set times when your dreams call for a level of dedication and focus that is offensive to people who may feel left behind or ignored by you.

At Jimi Famurewa’s book launch, he spoke about spending the last few months holed up in the final push to get the book out with many things taking back seat; but he got through it with the understanding and support of his family.

Stop trying to impress others

I have enjoyed watching the latest series of MasterChef UK and recently I came across a post from a fellow contestant in last year’s competition. In this post, Lisa Addison encouraged contestants not to get carried away by the attention and search for fame because it is so easy to lose your head and dream in a bid to ride the popularity waves. It’s so easy to be used by others for their own agendas.

There are times when your dream will call for you to set aside any fame or popularity if you are to aim higher. Trying to impress others or comparing yourself to what others are doing are mere distractions. Everyone’s dream is different so any competition is futile and waste of time at best.

Wake up

Some of us are sleeping through our dreams. Yes, I know that sounds odd because you ‘dream’ when you are sleeping. Making your ‘real’ dream a success requires you to wake up and start doing.

Sleeping through your dreams happens when we act like those dreams don’t exist or matter. When we sleep we have no care in the world and we are unaware of what else is happening around us. That is how some people are with the dreams they claim to care about; there is no evidence of the dream around them.

We sleep when we ignore the dreams, leave and forget them on a back burner or only talk rather than take action. The ‘dreams’ remain as piping and unrealisable dreams. Waking up requires you to get out of bed, take a shower, get dressed and kickstart your day. Apply the same thought process to your Dreams – get up and start.

I hope this post spurs you into action, encourages you to support other dreamers and be more understanding towards them. You may not fully understand their lives, journey or dreams but give them space and time to fulfil purpose.

Extend a little grace by managing your own expectations and focus on your own dreams too. Your times of reconnection with fellow dreamers consequently become more meaningful.

Thank you for reading and sharing this week’s post. Have an awesome week.