"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

Sounds easy enough right? I mean, who among us hasn't heard something on the order of "Follow your dreams". But, the thing is, how many of us are willing to do what it takes to achieve those dreams. Back at home.. one of the things I say the most is that there's nobody else responsible for where you go and what you do but you yourself. Nobody is going to throw a perfect hand at you and say, "Here's your dreams, now go on and get them because they're free." Anything worth having is worth fighting for, including the you that you're hoping to be someday. Now, I can't say that I've really followed this quote myself. For a long time, I was so afraid of not getting anywhere that I'd sell myself short the moment a problem came up.. I desperately lacked the confidence that was needed to accomplish my dreams. However, I'm here to say that fear should never be the force that stops you. The more you cave into it, the stronger it becomes and vice versa.. once you start breaking barriers.. you build up the same momentum that you do when you run down a hill; the kind of momentum that makes you feel like you're on top of the world and nothing will be able to stop you. I can personally vouch for this because while last year I had no hopes of becoming anything in the first two years of high-school, I wasn't getting anywhere. I wasn't placing in NJCL competitions, I was falling behind in school, and I was losing my shot to get into the college that I was hoping to apply to when I left high-school. Luckily, in the last month of school as well as over the summer, I found the strength and courage to push the fears that I was previously harboring and found myself greeting a new, better way of living with arms wide open. Currently, I'm about to start my Sophomore year confident that I'll be able to ace my exams, land the position of advertising editor on the school paper, and be completely ready for whatever I need to do to get into the school I'm aiming for. So honestly, just keep pushing and keep living the life that you want to lead, because eventually, you will make it. Yours Truly, ~B.