All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."
This is my absolute favorite quotation. As a girl who dreams of performing on Broadway, I would love to believe Walt Disney and be fully confident that all I have to do in order to achieve my dreams is try. I'm a little skeptical, but I do agree that courage to try is the first step to making our dreams a reality.
Once you have gathered the courage to go for your dreams, it really helps to have a support system: people who love and believe in you enough to support you through all the obstacles on the way to achieving your dreams. I am so lucky to have the support of my family, my friends, my teachers, and countless others. I know that they will be there to encourage me to continue even if it seems impossible.
If you don't have a great support system, don't worry. Your dream can still come true. Believe in yourself, and prove the people in your life that don't believe in you wrong. They are just another obstacle to overcome on your way to success. Don't let them stop you from doing what you love.
You also need to have a purpose for achieving your dream. Know why it is that you want to do what you are devoting your life to. Do not live your life to simply "be happy." Rather, use your gifts, talents, and achieved dreams to make your mark on the world. No one person is too small to make a difference. As a performer, I want to be able to touch the hearts and brighten the lives of audiences that watch me. It seems small, but sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.
Believe in yourself and all you want to be. Don't let what other people do or say take away your smile. Laugh as much as you possibly can. Enjoy your success and learn from your failures. When your journey seems unbearable, smile and push through. You are stronger than you think. The more obstacles you have to overcome, the more sweetly satisfying and exciting your success will be. NEVER GIVE UP. Always chase after your dreams because as Walt Disney says (with just a little addition from me), "all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to RELENTLESSLY pursue them."
Keyna Hoselton is a college freshman at Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma majoring in Dance Performance with a possible minor in History. Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Keyna was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of North Dakota for 2012. Learn more about Keyna here!
