Setting goals should not only be for businesses, governments and entrepreneurs. Our lives should also have some goals, so that there is something to aspire for, something to inspire and motivate us, and something to give us the drive to pursue our dreams.

“Dare to be different, dare to be you” is my life journey through goal setting, management and leadership and shows that dreams at an early stage in life, or later in life, can come true.

But…there must be a plan, and a goal. Without these ingredients, we can meander through life, having a great time, but it may not necessarily be the life that one was capable of attaining.

My life journey began at the age of nine, when in 1962, my dad asked me to dream my life. This was at the source of the River Nile in Uganda on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the source of the River Nile by John Hanning Speke.

I dreamt that one day I would be a hydro engineer, as my dad used to take me to the nearby hydro power station and I loved the sound of the turbines and generators.

My second dream was to one day go to the other end of the River Nile- in Egypt.

I realised both dreams as in 1976 the first job I took up in India, was as a hydro power systems engineer.

In 1982, I went to the other end of the River Nile, in Cairo, Egypt.

Being in the Arabian Gulf at Al Ain, UAE at the time, I decided to set career goals. I decided that I would change careers from engineering to management by 30, then from management and hopefully leadership to education at 45, and free fall at 60 and do whatever took my fancy at the time- but it had to benefit society.

My careers followed those timelines with me taking on management and leadership roles in transport, and later in education and executive roles in insurance and finance, and finally entrepreneurship at 60 undertaking social and community work.

I also decided to write my autobiography in three stages the first at 30, the second at 45 and the final one at 60, and the first two goals were achieved as I wrote the first book “The Quest- My First Thirty Years” in the deserts of Al Ain, and the second “Before and Beyond The Quest My First Thirty Years- To Forty Five” in Melbourne, Australia. Both were not to be published as I considered them too private.

Although I had set a target to write my third autobiography at 60, life was too exciting at the time and at 65, I embarked on the final autobiography but was encouraged to include my careers in management and leadership and entwine my life history within.

On 26 November 2020, I held my first published book “Dare to be different, dare to be you” and it was the bringing together of the two previous autobiographies and more.

This book takes one on a journey through life in the 50’s and 60’s in Africa, India in the 70’s, UAE in the early 80’s and later in Australia, and examines the cultural differences, lifestyles and ambitions of people in the different countries.

It also relates the challenges of migration, assimilation into new countries, the ups and downs of changing careers and balancing life, family and ones ambitions.

It takes a birds eye view of the world through travels in all continents including the adventure to Antarctica.

The highs and lows of management and leadership and events in the power, transport, education, insurance and finance industries locally and globally as well as the establishment of a business at the ripe age of 60 is examined in order to show that difficult as change may be, the rewards far outweigh the pain.

Through notable events, it shows the challenges managers and leaders face, and their need for integrity, values, morals, courage, determination and drive. Without those qualities, mediocrity sets in and change almost becomes impossible.

It highlights that we must dream, and dream big as the attainment of true happiness lies in setting ambitious goals and making them happen.

Dreams come true for those that dare to dream.