As I'm sure most of you did, I tuned into the Disney Channel Original Movie marathon last weekend, and while watching a few of my favorites, I started to notice a trend. One theme that occurred in a lot of the movies was the idea of the main character being pushed by an outside force to excel at something, while he or she was desperately wanting to pursue a different dream.

Take Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off, for example. Throughout the movie, Eddie's dad pressured him to play baseball when all Eddie wanted to do was be a chef. Or Jump In!, where Izzy picked jumping rope over boxing, because he was only doing it to please his father. And of course, we all know High School Musical, in which Troy comes to the conclusion that singing is his passion, not basketball. In each of these movies, the characters realized that they needed to do what they loved, not what someone else thought was best for them, and as I sat on the couch in a TV trance, my mind began to wander and I started thinking about how much this happens in real life.

Far too often, dreams aren't reached because of the people in our lives. While they often have our best interests at heart, they persuade us to forgo that dream for something more realistic, something that will keep us financially stable and able to provide for ourselves. As a member of the theatre community and a lover of the arts and all things creative, I hear it far too often: "You're really getting a degree in theatre?" "Why on earth are you making YouTube videos? It's not like anyone is going to watch them!" "You should probably perfect your table-waiting skills, since that's what you'll be doing with your life!"

I've been incredibly lucky that my family and friends are, for the most part, extremely supportive of my wild dreams, but I know plenty of my peers experience that kind of negativity daily, which is a really big bummer. And it doesn't just happen in the arts community, either. In any occupation, there are plenty of dreamers who have crazy plans for the future that never come to fruition because they are shot down one too many times by people who don't have faith in them. And that needs to change.

So to everyone who thinks they are meant to do something more with their lives, to all of you who feel as though nobody understands your plans, and to anyone who has had too many people tell them they can't do something, I have three words for you: Prove them wrong.

Show those nay-sayers that you can prevail at ice-skating, or writing a blog, or whatever it is you choose to do. Make them understand that you need to follow your own path, make your own mistakes and revel in your own successes. And most importantly, if you're going to pursue something, do it because you want to, not because someone "who just wants the best for you" pushes you toward it. If they truly care about you, they will be overjoyed at your happiness when you finally triumph.