I
care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I
think of what I do! That is character!” ~Theodore Roosevelt
I’m
currently doing the whole “quit my job to pursue a dream” thing. I left the
security and stability of having a salary along with a supposed career.
Back
then, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I had no experience in blogging,
plus I didn’t exactly have the confidence to market and start running a
business.
Sounds
crazy, right?
You
can imagine the reaction I got from my friends and family. The support was next
to nothing, and people generally never understood what I was doing—what I was
trying to do.
Does
this sound familiar?
You
may not have done something huge, like make a career shift, but perhaps you’ve
offered a different opinion, and everyone just disagreed.
You
would have expected more from your loved ones. I know how disheartening that can
be.
You
expect support and encouragement from people you consider close to you only to
be completely rejected, criticized, or worse, laughed at.
It
can be really hard to swallow all the “noise” around you.
I
was taken by surprise by some of the things I heard from friends; some of the
comments were particularly hurtful.
I
think it boils down to learning how to not care so much about what others
think, and also, conversely, understanding what goes on in their minds.
I’ve
come up with a little guide of reminders that I hope can help you keep going if
you feel alone.
1.
Your passion is a priority.
A
lot of people go through the motions in life, not doing what they love. They
end up constantly looking back, asking themselves, “What if?”
Whether
people support you or not, do you really want to look back in regret one day
down the line? To not know what could have happened if you tried to do what you
really wanted to do?
This
love of yours is one of the most important things in your life. Follow your
heart, and not the words of others just to live up to their expectations.
2.
Life is short
It
may be a little disheartening to have people around you discourage you, but
remember, life is short.
Do
you really want to spend your time feeling down over others’ words when they’re
completely unwarranted, baseless, and probably not making any kind of sense?
Do
you really want to pull back on following your dream or doing what you want
because of others, and start living a life that probably doesn’t fulfill your
potential?
Remember
that life is short, and it will be easier to stick to your own convictions when
other people disagree with your choices or put you down.
3.
Others may not fully understand.
People
who don’t support you and discourage you may not actually be bad people who
intentionally want to destroy your dreams.
Sometimes,
they just don’t understand why you do what you do, so they voice out their
concerns, which may make them seem dissenting.
I
personally try not to take it to heart when people discourage me. I see it as
they need a little education and explanation. Or sometimes, I just ignore them.
If
anything, since they don’t fully understand, I don’t see why it’s something to
be upset over.
4.
Sometimes others are insecure.
Sometimes
when people don’t support what you’re doing, it may be more about them than
you.
It
could be plain ignorance or even jealousy, but some people tend to attack
things that are new to them.
So
again, don’t take their words to heart. If their criticism isn’t constructive
in any way, they may be discouraging you because of their own fears and
insecurities.
5.
Remember anything is possible.
Nobody
can predict the future for certain.
The
people who don’t support you might paint a gloomy picture of what’s to come if
you do what you want to do.
You
don’t know the future either, but do you want to listen to others instead of
believing in yourself?
Don’t
let objections from others become your truth and limit you from creating what
you want in life.
Anything
is possible if you believe in yourself and work hard.
6. You
can do this without their support.
It’s
natural to want support and encouragement from the people around you, but it is
possible to do what you want to do without it.
Just
think of how many successful, inspiring people took the road less traveled.
You’re
a very powerful being, just by yourself. Believe in that, don’t give up, and
you’ll go a long way, whichever road you take.
7. You
can’t please everyone in life.
You
can’t. It’s impossible. And a lot of people forget that.
If
you try to please everyone, it’s going to be next to impossible. So don’t
bother. Keep your focus on what you want to do and why.
In
an ideal world, would we could constantly surrounded ourselves with positivity.
We can’t do that, but we can work on ourselves so that we stay committed and
positive.
Are
you surrounded by naysayers? How have you dealt with this?
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