Yesterday I moved north, from Bramham Horse Trials to Ripley Castle where we are exhibiting with UK Grand Sales. I woke up this morning and had breakfast looking out over the beautiful grounds.

The castle is set in a shallow valley with a lake in the centre; the gently sloping parkland is filled with mature trees that sway gently in the wind. I wish I could identify all the different species as I love this kind of landscape and dream of owning such a place.

We had a fantastic show at Bramham Horse Trials, and I was lucky enough to be next to a friend who owns Rudds Wellies. Rachel created her brand of functional wellies after being let down by other pairs that split after little use.

We talked for hours during the show, sharing ideas and discussing the problems of growing a small brand where we have too many ideas and never enough money or time to execute them all. At one point, she asked me why I was building the business, what was my ambition?

I started by explaining what we are trying to create regarding the business, and she interrupted and said “yes, and then what?”

I admitted that my real ambition was to own a stately home, set in beautiful parkland grounds like the ones I’m looking at in Ripley. I even have a screenshot on my phone from an estate agents’ blurb about one that is for sale. She laughed and said that she too had a picture of her dream house on her phone!

I’m struck by the similarities in our dreams but also by how little it matters what our vision is. If it’s important to you and gives your life purpose and meaning, then you must seek its fulfilment. Few people look back on their life from old age and regret the things they did, but many will look back and regret the things they didn’t do.

The opportunities that life throws your way are there to be seized, and it is vital that you embrace them with both hands. I will leave you with a quote from Denzel Washington that inspires me,

“Never give up. Without commitment, you will never start, but more importantly, without consistency, you will never finish. It’s not easy, if it were easy then there would be no (great people.) So, keep working, keep striving. If you fall down seven times, then make sure you get up eight times!”