English clergyman and poet John Donne writes “No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main”. If we really are committed to finding and pursuing our passion and purpose, we need to realise that we can’t do this in isolation from the world and that we are part of a bigger picture.

My daughter was married a few days ago. It was a fantastic day, filled with love, laughter and just a few tears. The event was casual, fun and laced with a few quirky touches that expressed the bride and groom’s personalities and interests.

A few weeks before the wedding Amanda tried on her dress. She asked me if she thought she was doing the right thing by wearing it, or whether she should have gone for something more traditional.

Unlike generations that have gone before us, we live in a society that is structured around “I” and “me” and the expectation of instant gratification as the reward for everything we do. While we scream loudly about our rights, how often do we hear about our responsibilities? And while we scramble over others to reach the dizzy heights of prosperity, how often do we overlook the miracle of one human being caring for another?

There is a lot that happens in our life that is outside our control. But we all have a circle of influence within which we have total or partial control. We have control over what we do and how we respond to our circumstances. I have learnt through experience that getting upset, angry or worried over “misfortune” is a waste of energy. If there is something I can do to change the circumstances then I do it. If there isn’t, I deal with it and move on.

The New Year often seems like a revolving door. No sooner are you carefully negotiating your entrance and getting ready to launch yourself into January, than you find yourself spinning into the next round of New Year celebrations.

And all those things you we were intent on achieving over the past 12 months are still on your “to do” list – giving up smoking, losing weight, getting fit, changing jobs, leaving that disastrous relationship, taking up that hobby you’ve always wanted to try or reading the complete Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings saga.

Fear. The one thing that, more than anything else, prevents us from living our life to the full. Fear of what others might think, fear of failure, fear of uncertainty, fear of the unknown. And mostly we spend a lot of time fearing things that will never happen.

I don’t know much about companion planting in a gardening sense, but I have come to know a bit about companion planting in terms of relationships.

Relationships, whether intimate or at arms length, can have a huge impact on how well equipped we are to follow our dreams and, as a consequence, how well we live our lives.

Most of us don’t tend to put a lot of thought or effort into managing our relationships to our benefit, or to the benefit of others. But getting up close and personal with the right people can help us get ahead in life.

Before we conclude our ‘Lost and Found’ series, let’s think again about some of the things we’ve touched on over recent months.

Do you believe you have:
 A need to do something that is special to you and helps to define who you are?
 A need to pursue something you really enjoy doing?
 A need to be appreciated for what you uniquely bring to the world?

So what is it about finding your passion that makes a difference to your life and the lives of those around you? I like to think of it as a cup being filled to the brim, with the overflow cascading down to splash over those who happen to come near. Following your dream is not a selfish pursuit because it has the potential to positively impact everyone around you.

Author Og Mandino once said “All the gold in the world cannot buy a dying man one more breath - so what does that make today worth?”.

I saw eternity and you weren’t there and I wept
I couldn’t bear the thought of living my forever without you
Your smile, your laughter, your joy
Would have been my joy always...

Imagine you are a teenager again – life is sweet and the outlook is rosy. You have no obligations or pressures, no responsibilities and you are still excited about life. You have the whole world at your feet and your whole life stretches out ahead of you.

Now imagine, as young people often do, that there are no obstacles to you becoming whatever you want to be. What is your dream?

It is said that childhood tendencies forecast adult abilities. The idea that you can gain a reasonably clear indication of a child’s personality and talents by the time they are 7 or 8 years old – perhaps even younger - is one I’ve thought about quite a lot lately. I’ve tried very hard to get in touch with that child and remember who she was and what she liked to do.

It's so easy to live your life totally in line with other people's expectations to the point where you lose touch with who you really are. Is there something in your life that you do just for you and no-one else? Have you found anything that truly excites you and that, if you had your way, you would do every day? Or do you think that life is generally a chore and the only break you get is either sleeping or vegetating in front of the television?

Look up into the night sky
And see that the brightness of one star
Does nothing to diminish the brilliance of another
Look up and see that the darker the sky
The brighter the stars appear
In a world dark with suffering and sorrow
How much more important it is that you and I shine brightly.

Over the years I have visited Sydney, New South Wales, on many occasions, although I am still not overly familiar with the city and surrounds. Sydney could probably be described as the tourist capital of Australia, situated on a beautiful natural harbour and graced with some of the nation’s most recognizable landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Has your life ever taken a turn you didn’t expect? Have you ever walked into a situation you thought you were prepared for, and then found that you weren’t as prepared as you thought you were? At these times we need to believe that someone outside of ourselves is in control. Someone who has a handle on the big picture.