Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
So, people should just not act upon their desires or goals and do nothing? Be whatever society wants or thinks they should be, what other people tell them to be instead of who they want to be and aspire to be the best version of themselves? What a miserable, unfulfilling experience. I can't imagine anything more depressing than that.
If you want to be a counselor, psychologist, lawyer, doctor, technician, mechanic, artist, writer, entertainer, game developer, or whatever your want to do; If that's what your dream is and what you truly, really want to do, you should go for it. The only point that should be clear and that people should realize is that it is not going to be easy. By any means. It is going to take a lot of hard work, grit and grind, a sleepless night here and there, dedication, and plenty of help from the right people to get you there. And along the way, you have to learn to fend for yourself, take care of yourself, become independent, and a provider for yourself and/or other people in today's society. There's a lot more to it than just whether or not you are naturally talented or gifted at it.

I don't know. I alwaysd had the dream of becoming an author. So in 2011 I quit my job and decided to follow that dream. I had some rough years in the beginning for sure. But in the end I did it. I'm not famous or anything, but I get by quite well, I write for newspapers, magazines and I get paid to play video games and write about them. I even wrote some scripts for TV ads! I alwas love it when I buy a magazine and can read my own name under an article. That's what I have been dreaming of for years and it is now a reality.

I didn't stop dreaming though. Right now I'm working to get my first novel published. I think that's doable. Would I have never decided to follow my dreams, I would most likely be flippin' burgers at Mc Donald's until this very day. I mean I was really great at that job. But I wasn't happy. I really don't see anything wrong with following your dreams. Sure, it doesn't always work. But even if you fail, at least you know that you tried and gave it your best shot. If you never try it, you'll never know if you could have succeeded. Like that girl I absolutely adored in school but never had the balls to tell it to her. Maybe I would have married her, if I had just tried. But I will never know.

I don't think it's wrong to follow your dreams. Especially when you consider that your dreams will change as you progress through life. Also, just because you don't necessarily achieve what you set out to do every single time, you often learn valuable lessons or gain new and useful skills along the way.

As a kid, my dream was to play centerfield for the Oakland A's. By the time I got to high school, I realized that wasn't going to happen. I enjoyed my time in little league and gained a great appreciation for sports in general. It led to another dream of mine to become a professional sports photographer. With some hard work and networking, I made that happen. It was a byproduct of that original unattained dream.

It's true that some dreams simply won't work out. I would rather give it a try and learn what I can while having some fun. As mentioned above, at the very least you might find a new hobby.

Following your dreams can't hurt more than following someone else's dream for you. You just have to quit when you know it's unattainable anymore or it's leading you to the wrong path. Enjoying your time while you work erases fatigue and boosts your productivity and is usually a byproduct of following your dreams.

You should never follow a dream. Most likely, you are wasting time. Rather, you should work towards it already. It doesn't always work out, but even halfway is probably better than not giving it a chance and regretting it later.

Here's my opinion on this:

I assume "Follow your dreams" is, ultimately, just yet another variant of saying "You can do anything if you really want it and work really really hard for it".

Humans have a tendency to blame failures exclusively on others - but to ascribe successes exclusively to themselves. (Both is equally far from the truth btw.) For example, there was an interesting study where someone made interviews with millionaires. Interestingly, every single one of these rich people believed that they were rich because they deserved it - and it didn't make any difference if that person was a selfmade-millionaire who earned it through hard work, became rich via inheritance, or simply won in the lottery...

Anyway, it is because humans tend to ascribe successes exclusively to themselves that such "follow your dreams"-phrases are usually uttered by people on a peak of success (like, as you mentioned, an actor who has just been given an award): At first sight, it seems as if a caring person is giving a good advice to others; but in a way, that person is pretty much just saying: "I'm very proud, this is a great success, and I earned it all by myself because I'm so great. I heard you're not as successful as I currently am - what the hell is wrong with you?"

its easy to optimistic in an ivory tower.

Just wanted to drop this here.

You get what you give out. But yes, being good at what you do is key.

Don't follow your dream, follow the value you can create for society and profit on it. Or follow your nose.