Have you heard of Callum the Mythical Stag?

Have you heard of Callum, the Mythical Stag?

He's a legendary creature that hangs out in Torridon in the Scottish Highlands, a huge beast yet strangely friendly.

Travellers on the NC500 have reported sightings of him for miles around, and social media is full of stories of their encounters with Callum.

When we took our VW campervan on the NC500 last October, I became obsessed with finding Callum.

Like, obsessed.

I convinced my husband and kids to spend a whole day (and extra night) in Torridon, and we spent the whole day combing the stretch from Benn Eighe to Shieldaig, trying to catch a glimpse of him.

It was weird, it was like I was possessed by this need to tick off this NC500 must-do, and I couldn't relax until I'd bagged my stag.

If I'm honest, I think my competitive side was triggered by the disappointed people on social media who had tried and failed to find Callum, and I wanted to prove I was the Stag Whisperer.

As the light was failing, we turned into the final car park, and lo and behold, there was Callum, chilling on the side of the road, eating a carrot.

He was enormous.

And pretty darn majestic.

But I felt a huge anticlimax.

We'd invested a whole day seeking this guy and he was just chilling by the side of a car park, as well fed and tame as if in a petting zoo.

To be honest, I'd got much more of a thrill a few days before, spotting stags on the crests of the rocky hillsides we'd been driving through, silhouetted against the fading light.

I was kicking myself.

How much other cool stuff could we have done and seen if I hadn't got a bee in my bonnet about finding Callum?

It got me thinking about how often we chase false dreams in business.

About chasing after arbitrary figures, some measure of supposed financial success.

But when we achieve them, it just feels hollow.

Have you ever done that? I certainly have.

I had a certain number on post-its around my computer for years, and when I hit that number, I felt no different.

I've also built a business that looked awesome on paper, but to me was a golden cage.

So let's drop the 'shoulds' and the 'that sounds goods' when it comes to chasing dreams, eh? Let's drop the meaningless wild goose (or should that be stag) chases.

Let's go all in?in pursuit of dreams that feel like yours, right down to your core, and make your gut fizz and your fingers tingle.

Have a great weekend,

Claire

P.S. enjoy the photo proof of Callum. He's majestic isn't he!