When your family and friends don't support you
They say in life you only get what you have the courage to ask for. But should you really have to *ask* your family and friends to support you? I am of the opinion that if you have to ask for support, you haven't got it- people either believe in you, or they don't! I used to keep my plans and dreams to myself to avoid looking silly incase things didn't work out. However, there is something to be said for making your goals public. It is true that you should only be accountable to the one person that matters- yourself. But proving the naysayers wrong might just be the kick that you need to start making steps towards whatever it is that you want to do.
My current creative project is Djing. I've always loved music, making playlists, and sharing my love of music with others. It would be great if I could take this passion and make a career out of it. I will blog more about my dj experience in another post, but the point I am making here is that people literally laughed out loud when I told them what I was interested in doing. I decided from that point that a dream ridiculed by others is one that is worth pursuing- ferociously!
It is very hurtful when people poo-poo your ideas, but often the people doing it don't have the courage to pursue their own dreams. So they continue doing something as mediocre and low-risk as possible. And if you hang out with people like that, their negativity (which they will say is 'being realistic') can get into your head. Don't give them the power to dictate what you do with your own short life. Try as many things as possible. You're allowed to make mistakes and learn lessons.
One lesson that I learned is that just because you support your friends' dreams, it doesn't mean that they will do the same for you, particularly on social media. I'll never forget when I entered one of those 'like-based' contests. I merely put up one link on my wall to inform people that I was in the running. Suddenly I was getting unfriended, hate emails, and my 'friends' even voting for the other contestants! I felt it was ridiculous that people were so stingy with their 'likes', as though it was money coming out of their own pockets. It really aint that serious! I had 100+ votes from absolute strangers, but it wasn't enough to get me over the line. When I asked a close friend about what was going on, she said "people don't like to see people they know succeed." I took a long hiatus from social media after that, and eventually deleted my profile.
Years later, I did start another profile. This time I was very careful about who I accepted, and what I shared. But it shouldn't be that way. The next time your friend invites you to 'like' their page, just bloody 'like' it! I don't care how lame you think it is. Clicking the 'like' button costs you nothing, but showing your friends that you support and care about them is priceless.
My current creative project is Djing. I've always loved music, making playlists, and sharing my love of music with others. It would be great if I could take this passion and make a career out of it. I will blog more about my dj experience in another post, but the point I am making here is that people literally laughed out loud when I told them what I was interested in doing. I decided from that point that a dream ridiculed by others is one that is worth pursuing- ferociously!
It is very hurtful when people poo-poo your ideas, but often the people doing it don't have the courage to pursue their own dreams. So they continue doing something as mediocre and low-risk as possible. And if you hang out with people like that, their negativity (which they will say is 'being realistic') can get into your head. Don't give them the power to dictate what you do with your own short life. Try as many things as possible. You're allowed to make mistakes and learn lessons.
One lesson that I learned is that just because you support your friends' dreams, it doesn't mean that they will do the same for you, particularly on social media. I'll never forget when I entered one of those 'like-based' contests. I merely put up one link on my wall to inform people that I was in the running. Suddenly I was getting unfriended, hate emails, and my 'friends' even voting for the other contestants! I felt it was ridiculous that people were so stingy with their 'likes', as though it was money coming out of their own pockets. It really aint that serious! I had 100+ votes from absolute strangers, but it wasn't enough to get me over the line. When I asked a close friend about what was going on, she said "people don't like to see people they know succeed." I took a long hiatus from social media after that, and eventually deleted my profile.
Years later, I did start another profile. This time I was very careful about who I accepted, and what I shared. But it shouldn't be that way. The next time your friend invites you to 'like' their page, just bloody 'like' it! I don't care how lame you think it is. Clicking the 'like' button costs you nothing, but showing your friends that you support and care about them is priceless.
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