I know I have been silent and I ask for your understanding. I have been busy chasing a huge dream of mine and having never chased this particular dream, I didn't realize just how much of me was required to chase it. I didn’t attend to my normal routine. I didn’t cook as many meals, I certainly didn’t go out much and of course, I stopped writing my weekly blogs. Although a lot of things fell by the wayside, I did achieve one major thing: I caught up with my dream and I’m living it!

For the last two and a half years, I have been interviewing single mothers so I could write a book that would help the ever growing single mother world. I set myself a goal. I had a title. I talked to every single mother that crossed my path and listened to their stories. I was so inspired by their ideas and strength that I wanted other single mothers to be inspired by their stories too. 

So I took my huge leap of faith and moved to Oxford for the year. It is here that I started catching up to my dream. Oxford was a huge rung up the motivational ladder for me. I love this town and all those who have been inspired here in the past: CS Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Kenneth Graham, TS Eliot…the list is endless. If it was good enough for them…

I came to write and write I have. This week I completed my single mother's book, all 64,000 words of it and I am really proud of myself! I don’t want this to sound like an egoistic statement; I have one of the smallest egos in the writing world. But I am really proud that I followed my dream to come here and I am proud that I finished this book despite a huge wall of obstacles that stood in my way.

There is nothing wrong with being proud of what you achieve, no matter how big or small that is. We need to pat ourselves on the back and acknowledge what we do in our lives. Every step forward needs to be applauded and the biggest applause must come from you, for where else can you expect to get it? Rather than go unacknowledged, we need to look at ourselves every day in the mirror and say, ‘good on you!’ You are the leader in your own band and so your trumpet must sound the loudest! Your kids will happily follow your example.

So set yourself a dream to catch. It doesn’t matter if it’s a very small one that’s easy to catch or one that may take you years, like mine. The important thing is to have dreams and give it your all to reach them. There is no failure in not achieving them, only in not trying.