CHASING OUR DREAMS

Now, do you know Katty Perry? She was rejected three times. If I was her I would have given
up. But Katty Perry did not. And look at her now. Oprah Winfrey. She was abused got pregnant
by fourteen and fired by the TV Producer several times but today she is a highly rated celebrity.
Dato Seri Siti Nurhaliza for instance, is finally living the dream of her life. After eleven years,
she finally blessed with a beautiful baby girl. What do they have in common? Yes…
Determination and passion.

A very Good morning/afternoon to:

- Honorable judges

- Awesome time-keepers,

- My beloved peers

- Ladies & gentlemen

I’m standing here today to talk about a very interesting topic entitled, Chasing Our Dreams ..Chasing Our
Dreams.

Today, I will tell you how each and every person who is in this hall can pursue with the dream of
your life.

First and foremost, someone who wants to chase his or her dreams should be passionate about
their dreams. Look at people who have achieved success. They did not attain their success just by
thinking about it in a lukewarm manner they were moved by passion and desire.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The most successful people in our world would agree with me that the fulfillment of your dreams
lies within you and you alone. Though their roads were bumpy from time to time, these are the
factors that usher them forward, until they achieved the success they pursued. As an example, I
believe most of us still remember these two passionate brothers who chased their dreams and
achieved them, the Wright brothers. If it was not of their ludicrous dreams to fly a plane, none of
us would today be able to sit in Boeing 777. It is their passion that has materialised their dreams.
Moreover, people who chase their dreams should also be those who dare to fail as failure is the
mother of success. When you dare to dream, dare to follow that dream, dare to suffer through the
pain, sacrifice, self-doubts, and friction from the world, then you are successful. There can never
be a greater teacher than failure for those who want to pursue their dreams. A famous American
philosopher, Elbert Hubbard once said that "A little more persistence, a little more effort, and
what seemed hopeless failure may turn into glorious success."

Dearest friends,

This means self-esteem must be earned to face the challenges, to face the failures and to face the
trash-talks from others to genuinely impress yourself and eventually achieve your dreams. The
right figure whom I can quote here is Colonel Sanders. Many of us enjoy the finger licking good
meals of Kentucky Fried Chicken today, but do you know that, the man behind this worldwide
franchise had encountered multiple failures before making his dream accomplished. In his effort
to make KFC popular, he was rejected on many occasions and laughed at about his funny
looking attire. Howsoever, Sanders persevered, and after a little over 1,000 visits, he finally
launched the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" site in 1952. He was the exemplary of a figure who
had turned failures into success as he dared to fail and face them with a great deal of
perseverance.

In a nutshell, when our scientists can send a device in a size of a basketball to orbit the Earth and
they can materialize their dreams, I believe that, everyone here can bring your dreams to live. All
that you need is a dab of passion, dare to fail and nurturing optimism in you. These three secret
recipes will not only ensure you in chasing your dreams but also make them come true for a
man’s dreams are an index to his greatness. Today, I stand here in front of you, realizing one of
my dreams to conquer this battlefield, and yes, I made it. For all of you here, always bear in
mind that ‘When you cease to dream, you cease to live’. Thus, ladies & gentlemen, never be
afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.

Thank you dream chasers.