曾经梦想仗剑走天涯，后来你走了多远？How do you pursue your dreams? | Chitchat

As you read this article, you might be struggling with the gloomy prospect of returning to work and study. After the many indulgences of a seven-day vacation, it is anxiety-provoking to face endless essays at school or the year-end performance evaluation that lies ahead. 

Time flies like an arrow. Almost three quarters of the year has passed, and it is only 75 days before the postgraduate admission test, and nearly 250 days before the college entrance exam. Everyone is on the way to his or her dreams. 

Early in the morning, before the sun rises, middle school students immerse themselves into English vocabularies on subways, some hurriedly closing the books and scrambling to their feet when speakers announce the stops.

To complete the scene, an autumn leaf falls on the opened pages of a mathematics textbook, in the hands of a young girl sitting under the tree. University libraries are crowded with junior students cramming for multiple tests to maintain a decent GPA. Seniors are carefully preparing their resumes and personal statements, altering them again and again. 

The Japanese movie Flying Colors mirrors the stressful life of millions of young examinees. The protagonist, Sayaka Kudo, transforms from an inferior student ranked among the lowest in her class to an outstanding undergraduate of Keio University. During the pursuit of her dream, she grappled with drowsiness and boredom every night. She went without sleep, to the extent she nodded off in her classes. 

However, your dreams are not confined within the scope of academic achievements, raising salaries, or job promotions. Some people dream to create their own business. Some dream to be a singer, a photographer, a painter or even an Internet celebrity. Some hope to support themselves or have a full meal. 

The Pursuit of Happyness is another inspirational story. After being evicted from his house, Chris Gardner is forced to sell bone density scanners after work while competing for a paid position as a stockbroker out of 20 interns. He squeezes every minute to compete. In order to maximize client contact, he refuses to socialize, allowing more time for work. His persistence and optimism earned him a full-time broker position, and he even ends up forming his own multimillion-dollar brokerage firm.

Here's a famous quote from the movie adaptation: "Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can't do something themselves, they want to tell you you can't do it. You want something, go get it."

Everybody has dreams. Some become realities, some collapse. But never give up when you still have something to give. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." 

Here is this week's Chitchat topic:

- Chitchat topic -

What efforts did you make to protect your dreams? 

Share your stories and we'll publish some of the best next Monday!

Editor: Zhang Xi

Intern: Wang Haoyun

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