Recently I learned an important lesson.
I made a big change in my life, which creates new challenges for me to solve. I made it consciously, with a plan in mind and a strategy to follow. That is how I do most of my new things, and they pay out well. Most of the times.
But, there’s a problem.
And that problem was something I didn’t see coming this hard.
Because, sometimes, you can be thrilled, energized and enthusiastic about something, and then when you share it with friends and family, they look at you with only question marks in their eyes.
They don’t get it.
And it can be even worse, they react not as you hoped, you know, supportive and interested in your approach, but quite the opposite.
So what do you do? They’re your friends (or family). You want them to understand. You can’t just not talk to them anymore and ban them out of your life.
Well, I discovered that even the understanding is not always possible.
And you know what? That’s okay.
“Okay? Why is that okay? If they don’t understand, they won’t support you, are against you, and will only laugh at you telling ‘I told you so’ when you do fail.” I hear you ask that.
But, that’s probably not the case.
They don’t understand it, because they are not you. They don’t think like you, they don’t know what you know, they don’t have your experience, and they don’t share your vision. So of course they don’t understand.
They may think it’s stupid, or whatever they want to think. It doesn’t change a thing for you, does it?
Because you DO know what your vision is. You DO know why you do what you did. You DO know your plan, strategy and why it will work. That is the only thing that counts.
Now a word of advice here is that you could also look for other people, who can also become friends, that do support your vision, your approach. Because they understand. Now, those are the people you can reach out for for support in your journey.
Because remember, you become just like the 5 closest people you hang out with. That’s easy popular social science.
And your old friends? Keep them as the friends you liked them and share the things you did before. If you like. Or not, but that’s your choice to make.
Recently I learned an important lesson.
I made a big change in my life, which creates new challenges for me to solve. I made it consciously, with a plan in mind and a strategy to follow. That is how I do most of my new things, and they pay out well. Most of the times.
But, there’s a problem.
And that problem was something I didn’t see coming this hard.
Because, sometimes, you can be thrilled, energized and enthusiastic about something, and then when you share it with friends and family, they look at you with only question marks in their eyes.
They don’t get it.
And it can be even worse, they react not as you hoped, you know, supportive and interested in your approach, but quite the opposite.
So what do you do? They’re your friends (or family). You want them to understand. You can’t just not talk to them anymore and ban them out of your life.
Well, I discovered that even the understanding is not always possible.
And you know what? That’s okay.
“Okay? Why is that okay? If they don’t understand, they won’t support you, are against you, and will only laugh at you telling ‘I told you so’ when you do fail.” I hear you ask that.
But, that’s probably not the case.
They don’t understand it, because they are not you. They don’t think like you, they don’t know what you know, they don’t have your experience, and they don’t share your vision. So of course they don’t understand.
They may think it’s stupid, or whatever they want to think. It doesn’t change a thing for you, does it?
Because you DO know what your vision is. You DO know why you do what you did. You DO know your plan, strategy and why it will work. That is the only thing that counts.
Now a word of advice here is that you could also look for other people, who can also become friends, that do support your vision, your approach. Because they understand. Now, those are the people you can reach out for for support in your journey.
Because remember, you become just like the 5 closest people you hang out with. That’s easy popular social science.
And your old friends? Keep them as the friends you liked them and share the things you did before. If you like. Or not, but that’s your choice to make.
Maurice Zondag
Maurice is the founder of Master Your Personality and originator of the concept of "The 5 Sources of Happiness". He is a certified health and life success coach and he helps people to have a healthier life, more confidence and create the mindset that leads to owning your desired life and get what you want in life.