All of us dream of excelling in our lives, accomplishing great feats and making our lives worthwhile and counted. Dreams unlock the horizons of our minds, expand new frontiers and provide us with new and greater opportunities. They give new direction and orientation to our lives; they become a motivational and guiding factor in the pursuit of our goals and aspirations with clarity of thought and purpose. Having dreams enables us to work hard with determination and dedication that ensures success and fulfilment. It requires a lot of mettle and courage to tread the unexploited path and we may have to deviate from conventional methods making us vulnerable to ridicule and discouragement from others. But success comes only to people who dare to pursue their gut feelings.

Amy Tan was a business writer before she authored The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses which were sold in millions. When Tan shared her dream of becoming a writer, her business partner not only discouraged her but also parted ways with her. Tan followed her dream with guts and grit and after a lot of struggle became one of America's best-selling authors.

This goes to show the importance of pursuing one's dream that is achievable and realistic according to our capacity and ability. The best person who knows you well is yourself and no one else. Only you know what your strengths and weaknesses, fears and anxieties, your heart's aspirations and desires are. After considering all the pros and cons you should be the one to take the decision to pursue your dreams. Ritu Beri, one of India's successful fashion designers, says, "Everyone says that I am the first Indian who took up fashion abroad, but I think I was the first idiot who got up and said, 'I want to do this'. I had no real map to follow; there was nobody I could actually look up to as my example. But yes, I was passionate about what I was doing." And it did pay off. Over the years, Beri has made a mark with her elegant apparel both in the national and international fashion world.

When you pursue your dreams, setbacks are sure to be there, but don't let them pull you down, but face them with greater determination and courage. Enid Blyton's work was rejected by publishers over 500 times before her first work was published. Walt Disney's request for funds to develop Disneyland was rejected by over a hundred banks. Colonel Sanders' chicken recipe was rejected by over a thousand restaurants before he began Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). While pursuing dreams, one may not succeed the way one plans but the experiences one has along the way can be an asset in the future.

THE TEENAGER TODAY, in its story Who Paid You To Give Up On Your Dreams?, challenges you to ignite the passion within you to pursue your dreams. As you move ahead in your life's journey weave your own dreams into reality, moving on with newer dreams and aspirations, filling your life with joy and contentment.