My brother loaned me a book. It’s signed by the author, Australian actor, stuntman and success coach Kurek Ashley. Inside the cover of How Would Love Respond? is scrawled "Live Your Dreams".

A simple and powerful message. But then I asked why. Why are dreams so important?

Fast-forward to page 177 and Kurek answers my question. “When people give up on their dreams, they become zombies. The spark of life is missing from their eyes. Your body might still be walking around, but your spirit is dead because your soul is trapped in a vehicle that has thrown away the best part of human experience.”

As I was contemplating the direction of my own dreams, Australia was embracing our first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

I'll admit it, when Michelle Payne beat the odds not only at the track but also in life on that historic occasion, I cried.

Michelle mentioned that the night before, she considered what she would say if she won.

At first she thought, “don’t be silly” but concluded, “it’s nice to be able to dream”.

That's when the floodgates opened. I feel very passionate about people pursuing their dreams.

And now I’m about to pursue mine.

One year ago, two mums were sitting at the aquatic centre watching their kids play, unaware that their sons were best friends at pre-school.

They began chatting about parenthood, careers and invariably, how to juggle the two!

Then one mum leaned in and asked the other, “Would you like to write for the paper?”

The other mum responded eagerly, “Where do I sign?”

And so what began as two mums exchanging ideas has developed into a beautiful friendship.

Thank you Monique Patterson for taking a chance on me. I am truly grateful for the opportunity … and our friendship.

To the people who have read my columns and stopped me in the street to pass on their feedback – thank you. My main goal with my writing is to either make people think or smile. If it has done both then I am a happy little vegemite.

Whether we admit it or not, each of us has something inside of us that is our unique calling. It doesn't matter if it's a desire to become a published author like me, or be the winner of the Melbourne Cup, like Michelle Payne.

So I’ll leave you with one last tip as I heed the advice of the late Wayne Dyer - one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our time - "Don't let the music die in you."​