Your vision is what matters

You're the person that has the grand plan. You've done all the research, assessed all the risks, crunched the numbers, and even bought some items to start working on your plan. What would you naturally do? You become excited and share your plans with the people that are close to you. But you quickly realize that they are not nearly excited as you are.

We have people who want to speak about your life as if they know everything there is to know about your situation… without going through the situation themselves. They think you could do things this way to save money or to save time. They think they are trying to help you be safe. In some cases this is true. There will be friends and family who may simply not understand why you are trying to do something out of their reality of doing things. These are the people who may need facts about your situation before they can support you. With most reasonable people this will usually suffice, though they will still express their worry.

We also have people who are more concerned with controlling the outcome of your life. Maybe it's because they tried to do your thing and they didn't succeed so how dare you to think you can beat them? Some people know that trying something new would put you ahead of them, so they will try to bring you down into the comfort of their misery. Some people live their lives riddled in fear and cannot believe that you have the audacity to do something different, so they try to pump fear into you so that you can see things their way. What these problematic people have in common is that they operate from a place of "lack and scarcity."

When you live like this, you truly do not think there is enough to go around. You don't think that you can do better than where you are in life now, even if where you are now isn't doing you any favours. They read a few articles and think they know everything there is to know about the world. They shut all other opinions down despite you giving them the information and pouring your heart out to them. This is the person that thinks that quitting your job for another one is a grave mistake even though quitting that job could bring you more happiness and more revenue over the long term. This is the person who cannot understand why you would leave the comforts of your western life and go to another country because they think they know everything there is to know about your country. This person has never been to your country. They have watched a few programs and read a few articles and believe that you should not take such a risk. This is the person who after giving them all the facts as to why you would take the risk to live the life that you planned for would still discourage you.

When they are discouraging you they are telling you that their small minded reality is right and your plans are wrong.

It's very painful to not receive support from the people you thought you could count on, but only you can hold yourself accountable for the actions you do or do not take in life. If you never take that time in your life to discover what else is out there for you because of concerned people and negative naysayers you will live a life of regret that these people will not carry. Only you will carry that.

So how can you go ahead and do the thing even when the people in your life seem to be holding you back?

1. Set boundaries. Acknowledging that you do not have people who believe in you is the first step to taking your life back. Do not share your detailed plans or dreams with them because they will find ways to discourage you whether they mean to or not. Only share the superficial parts with them in case they ask. You can always say that you do not want to share your plans any further with them as well. Keeping connection with the people who don't believe in you may be more important than proving them right.

2. Celebrate yourself. Maybe up until this point you have not made much of yourself. Maybe you have a criminal record. Maybe you're a single mom of two. Maybe, you made the wrong career choice. You still have to recognize all the good things you have done up to this point. You learned from your mistake, and are contributing to yourself and society. You are providing all you can for your adorable children. You are learning new skills to go on a different career path. Small minded people want to stay where they are even if it does not benefit them. You are doing better than the majority of people by thinking you can live a better life on your own terms.

3. Compare yourself to the reflection in the lake. You have to be responsible for the choices in your life. Don't compare yourself to what others are doing. You won't get any motivation that way. Keep a journal and write out your journey.

4. Surround yourself with people with a growth mindset. If your entire family does not support your plans, turn to your friends. If your friends don't get it, the internet is a great place to build community. Humans are hardwired for connection and it is the only way we can survive. Connect with those who are where you want to be and follow their journeys. Ask for their advice or mentorship. They will have the resources to help you scrap to add to your plans.

Remember your personal "why". People who you tell your plans to may not fully understand or are not willing to understand why you are doing what you are doing. You must be clear in your own mind, heart, or gut (all three are superior when working together) as to why you need to fulfill this plan.

People are conditioned to only see the end result of something and do not recognize that everything has a process to get to that something. Imagine a mountain. Most people will only see the top of the mountain and won't look at the enormous rock and dirt that must be claimed to get to that mountain. These are the people who may not care about doing the work to get to the top. However, if you are reading this, you have probably bought your tools, your shoes, and packed food to start climbing the mountain. It's not easy to climb that mountain. You might even stumble but Victor Frankl says, "He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how".." Do not give up no matter what the concerned or the naysayers say. Keep the concerns and naysayer connections at a distance and keep your supporters really close. Stay resilient. You do the world no favours by keeping yourself small.

The world needs your gifts, your talents, your kindness, your empathy, your business savvy mindset, your artistic abilities, and whatever else is in your grand plans.

The rest is up to you.