Chances are, if you have the gumption to do something unconventional, you’re going to be met with some backlash.
People don’t like change! And people REALLY don’t like things that make them uncomfortable.
Do what you need to, for you. No matter what people say.
This is not new to me. Without sounding too dramatic, living/thinking/doing outside the box has been a way of life for me, and it has often left me feeling alone, misunderstood and unheard.
It’s easy to let those feelings overwhelm you and stop you in your tracks.
You ment
ion you’re not happy in your marriage and you’re met with “But what about the kids?” or “But she’s such an amazing woman!”… so you freeze.
You have a very well paying job that has you respected in the community. But you’re overworked and really want to explore floral arrangement as a new career. People say “You’re crazy! Save that for when you retire rich” or “How can you walk away from your pension?”… so you freeze.
You start a blog about being your authentic self no matter what and end up fending off trolls who call you a scammer and use bad grammar and swear words… ok, I may have used an IRL example there! 🙂
Trust me when I say I am no
t above that “FREEZE” point. It screams through my body every time I read another comment on my page spitting venom at me.
But then I sit back and re
flect on what that person must be going through. How they must feel in their bodies and their lives in order to have such an intense reaction to what I’m doing.
And it clicks.
The way you are treated by someone reacting to something that you are doing has NOTHING to do with you and everything to do with them.
Their life experiences that have brought them to where they are today. Their sadness or anger or displeasure.
This isn’t a revelation I’m having here. I’m not the first person to know this or say this, but it’s something that I have to remind myself of all the time.
That person is unhappy and they’re afraid to be unhappy ALONE if you change.
When someone doesn’t support you, or worse, when they attack you, it stings. And your ego is inclined to lash back out at them if you don’t stop it.
But more importantly, I implore you to do the thing that you want to do regardless of what the masses say.
Regardless of the support you don’t receive from family.
Regardless of whether or not you’ll need to find a new group of friends when it’s all said and done.
The world needs us to be our truest, most authentic selves.
WE need that for ourselves.
Otherwise we’ll be living a life that satisfies someone else’s narrow view of how we should live, and we will not be fulfilled.
Rise up.
Take the reigns of your life.
And if you ever find yourself listening to someone else’s story and questioning them, check in with yourself and see where that feeling may be coming from within you.
Spread the love.