Fulfilling Your Dreams
Find Your Encouragers
by Jennifer Bonn
Not everyone around you will clap for you as you chase your passions. That stung for a while because I wanted the people closest to me to support my writing. It took me a while to realize there are all sorts of reasons and emotions why someone doesn’t support your dream.
Your success might make some people uncomfortable whether it’s because of jealousy or insecurity, these people don’t want to experience your excitement. The worse case is when someone close to you feels the need to attack your dreams. This might be done through verbal jabs or questioning what you are doing on your path to success. Don’t allow those arrows to hit the mark. They are coming from someone too insecure to support you. Keep moving forward towards fulfilling what you love to do. In my family’s case, they have never been interested in reading, so my writing was never something they wanted to be invested in following.
Here are a few things to help you find the people who will understand your passion.
Find your cheerleaders.
I have several friends who are always there to convince me I am on the right path. They want to see me succeed as much as I want the same for them. Your cheerleaders might not be actual family, but they will lift you up as if they were.
Ignore the doubters with their negativity.
When you are doubting yourself, it doesn’t help when others start questioning your dreams. As a writer, I have not discovered how to kill it financially, so I fend off questions like, “Why are you doing this?”, “This is just a hobby, right?” Those questions are not helpful, so ignore them and carry on. I had to speak up when a family member had thrown too many barbs. I said, “I need you to stop talking to me that way. I have written 12 books. I just haven’t figured out how to market them yet.” He was very surprised and apologized.
Know who you can share your dreams with.
Many people close to you don’t care about your dreams even though if they care about you; they should also care about your dreams. There are also people who will be interested in your journey and who will ask questions about your dreams. There was a gymnast whose father told him not to talk about the great things he was going to do. Instead, he should just do them.
Use the haters as fuel for motivation.
I asked a family member a question about filling out my monthly taxes and he asked me why they would care about receiving such a small amount. It was asked with a dose of hatefulness, and at that moment I decided to work harder on selling my books to prove my ability to this person. Prove the haters wrong.
If you are passionate about something you should continue doing it even when you feel alone in your pursuit.
About the Author
Jennifer Bonn is the author of 101 Tips To Lighten Your Burden and a variety of other books including five children’s books, two self-help, a running book, and a romance. She is currently working on a series of books with quick tips for writers, teachers, parents, and runners. Jen taught French for 40 years, is an avid runner, and a parent of three. Visit her online at www.Jenniferswriting.org.
