‘Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart, I can’t tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start. They tell me I’m too young to understand, they say I’m caught up in a dream. Well life will pass me by if I don’t open my eyes, well that’s fine by me.’

If you don’t recognise the words above, these stirring lyrics to the song Wake Me Up were written by Avicii, an incredibly talented DJ who passed away in 2018, aged just 28. These lyrics are important, because they remind us that following our dreams, our passions and our heart involves a lot of struggle – and that’s counter-intuitive. No one wants to swim upstream, especially when there are constant reminders that the river is flowing in the opposite direction. It’s hard to keep going when everyone around you makes it clear that they don’t believe in what you’re doing. But that’s when it’s more important than ever to hang on to your own self-belief. Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dream and, most importantly, don’t talk yourself out of it.

Life is too short to live with regrets. If you’re stuck in a job that has you filled with dread from the moment the Carte Blanche theme music starts on Sunday night, remember this: you’re not a tree. You’re not rooted anywhere. At any time, you can be brave and take a step forward. Do it now, because the real pleasures in life are just ten metres outside of your comfort zone – and tomorrow is not promised.

I think that one of the reasons many people stop themselves from taking that first step is because they’re frightened they won’t see the results. Well, the truth is that you won’t. Not immediately, anyway. But I want to tell you something I learned about bamboo. As you may know, bamboo grows into one of the world’s tallest plants. But here’s the interesting thing: for the first five years, bamboo doesn’t grow at all. That’s right: once you’ve planted the seed, you have to water it every day, nurture it, make sure it’s getting enough sun – and you’re not going to see anything happen.

I’m sure that many people who plant bamboo give up on their plants – but, if they were to wait around until Year Six, they’d see that bamboo shoot up to 30 metres in just six months. You see, it takes five years for the bamboo to develop a root system that’s strong enough to carry its tremendous height. So, all this time, it looks as though nothing is happening – and yet the most important part of the plant’s growth is taking place. No one sees those roots, no one knows how far they go. The story of bamboo is a story of patience, and that’s at odds with a society that thrives on instant gratification.

I think that our dreams are pretty much the same. How many of us stop watering and caring for our dreams, because they’re like bamboo plants? How many great entrepreneurs have given up in Year Five, just before their bamboo starts its magical transformation?

Don’t be trapped by dogma. Don’t listen to naysayers. Remember, always, that ‘at first people will ask you why; later, they will ask you how’. Stick to your convictions, grow your roots, and don’t give up on your dream before it’s had time to break ground. You may be giving up on a very tall tree.