How do you know whether the dream you’re pursuing is your own? Throughout our lives, our goals and desires are strongly influenced by those around us. It is true that not a single one of us becomes who we are in isolation – we are shaped and molded by our experiences with our friends and family, our teachers and bosses, and even strangers with which we chat at a coffee shop. While we always seek to satisfy the expectations of those we love and to walk in the shoes of those we respect, it is important not to lose yourself in the process.