Dreams. They bewilder and inspire, perplex and invigorate. They come at night and are gone by morning, foggy, fuzzy memories that miraculously mix the mundane and absurd, leaving us to hopelessly ponder their meaning.

Yet some dreams do not dissipate at dawn’s light. They are made of different stuff. They linger and intensify during waking hours. They become impossible to ignore, all consuming. And for some of us, they shape the direction of our lives.

Here, we profile six alumni who followed their dreams and never looked back – and, in the process of tracking their steps along the way, we map out the act of chasing a dream. Because, yes, dreams start with an idea – but, to make dreams come true, you must make the commitment, you must pay your dues. Only then can you expect to catch that elusive break. Only then can you start to wake up a little, start adjusting to the dream, start making it your reality. And then one day, you might finally look in the mirror and declare, “I am living the dream!”

Each of these stories illustrates a particular step in chasing the dream. Perhaps one of them will inspire you to wake up and pursue your passion.