Hello again! This is Abby, an old friend of Erica’s, you may remember from a post I wrote a while back. This time I want to ramble about something similar, but kind of different, especially in light of a few things that came to happen during the last couple of months.
First, a little background on what I want to ramble about.
I don’t know how many of you, if any, follow a show called RWBY produced by Rooster Teeth, it’s about a bunch of really badass teenage girls who are monster hunters. It’s an awesome little show. And unfortunately it’s creator and lead writer, Monty Oum passed away at the 
beginning of February. He was a very inspirational person and remains incredibly inspirational and motivational. And then on February 27th, Leonard Nimoy – who most of you will know better as Mr. Spock, passed away. He was a major inspiration to a lot of people, not just those in the sci-fi world.
All that being said I want to talk about, following your dreams and finding someone or something that inspires you and why it is so important.
Alright, I’m going to get a little personal here for a minute. When I was younger I didn’t want to follow my dreams. I didn’t want to be different. Now there were a lot of reasons for this, one of the most compelling being that I was bullied. So like many younger children I tried my hardest to fit in, because when you’re little and weird fitting in seems like the best way to go. However as I got older, I realized that was not what I – or anyone do.
Now, why did I start with Monty and Spock? Because they inspired me. Spock, reminds me to always be myself, because when you’re weird and different (just like he was), you shouldn’t have to hide it. Monty, well, he showed me, that you have to chase your dreams with everything you’ve got.
And that’s what I want to talk about: chasing your dreams. They are what makes you, you.
Everyone is different and weird, in their own ways. I like to dress up in costume as comic book or anime characters and go to conventions. I love to write, especially urban fantasy stories. That’s who I am and I’ve embraced it. Why? Because, you have to be true to yourself, even if yourself is someone who freaks other people out. Spock taught me 
that, what with the being half human, and half Vulcan, he was supposed to be cold and logical, but he let his emotions color his life because that’s who he was. And Monty, he chased his dream with every fiber of his being, throwing himself into it wholly regardless of what it did to him.
Now, I’m not saying you have to sacrifice your health or emotional well-being to chase your dreams and find inspiration. However, chasing your dreams will make you happier, that I can guarantee. People always say, do what you love and you won’t work a day in your life. I’m sorry, but that’s bullshit. Do what you love, and you’ll work harder than then you ever have. You’ll enjoy yourself, despite all the frustration and in the process you’ll make or do something that you can be proud of. Once you find your passion, nothing will be able to stop you from your desire to make it happen but you have to pursue it. I’m not talking, halfheartedly saying things like, “Oh, I want to be a writer” and then occasionally writing a few lines and saying you’ll go back to it later. I mean sitting down every day and working on it, pouring your heart and soul into it. That’s what it really means to chase your dreams.
In order to chase your dreams, you have to be moved by something, be it your love of cooking or animating or writing or space or whatever. Now, I know thus far it seems like I’ve been focused on what Monty taught me however, Leonard Nimoy, specifically as Spock, taught me that you have to be who you are, and be unashamed about who you are. Being unashamed of who you are will allow you to chase after your dreams and find what you really want to be or want to do. The perfect example of this is Spock applying to both Star Fleet and the Vulcan Science Academy and when he gets into the Science Academy, realizing that what he really wanted to do was join Star Fleet. And before purist tell me I am wrong yes, I know this is from the 2009 Star Trek movie, and it wasn’t Nimoy’s portrayal but if I am remembering correctly, in the original series this is alluded to, but never seen.
Now while, I’ve probably gone off topic a lot and talked a lot of nonsense, my goal was to share with those who will listen why being accepting of yourself, finding inspiration and chasing your dream is so important. A life without chasing your dreams, even if you never meet them, would seem empty and, in my opinion, not a life worth living. My last piece of advice is this: work hard and follow your heart. Yeah, work that crappy job
because you need to make a living, but when you have the time chase your dream, follow it with all your heart and work hard for it. Because even when it seems like everything is lost and what you’re doing doesn’t seem worth, having a dream means you have something to chase.
After all, life isn’t necessarily the destination but the journey. Life is our individual journeys to chase our dreams.
From The Writer: I want to dedicate this post to my amazing and wonderful Nanna. She was one of the first people in my life to truly teach me how to live a life full of passion and how to chase your dreams. She was the one who introduced me to Mr. Spock and without that introduction I would not be the person I am today. So for probably not the last time, but the first of many, I want to thank her for everything she did Rest In Power Nanna, I miss you more than anything.
Erica Is A Professional 