Standing Out Isn’t Easy
It takes a lot of courage to embrace our own creativity. It’s not easy. When we declare our pursuits to those closest to us, they’re not carrying the same passion for it that we are. They’re not bad people that want to see us miserable. They don’t understand, our passion drives us.
It’s the people who love us the most that will react. It’s very common for loved ones to want the best for us. Their best. Our best, that’s too scary. They’re often reacting based on their own personal fears. They want to keep us safe. It’s nice, but it’s not going to keep us fulfilled.
It’s not their fault. We live in a culture full of dichotomies. We are told “be exceptional” but “fit in,” “dream big” but “stay realistic,” “take risks” but “play it safe.” It’s not hard to understand why navigating these waters can be difficult and often confusing.
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A Battle Worth Fighting
These are the contrasting messages that our loved ones hear as well. It all supports their fear-based thinking. So, in a way, it’s not them, it’s our society and they’re doing their best to keep us safe. It’s our job to fight the contrast and move past our fears. It’s our passion that drives us in a battle worth fighting.
Whenever we put ourselves out there in a creative way we’re playing with risk. Like when we’re starting a business. That’s a move that sets off a lot of red flags for people. Especially those closest to us.
Our challenge is to continue with what we’re doing. Understand that it’s completely normal to feel and be unsupported. Then do what we’re doing anyway.
Advocate for Your Ideas
These days we have to be the champions of our own ideas. Stand up for them, advocate for them. Our parents may not understand the job we’re aiming for. For them, it was never a choice. We live in a time when everything is changing rapidly and constantly. It’s not always a bad thing, but it leaves a lot of room for the unknown.
When our parents were starting out, being a Youtuber was not a career choice. Now, it’s something new and scary their kid is pursuing. Change is not only constant, its accelerating – exponentially. Where meeting face-to-face was the norm just a few years ago, now virtual meetings over Zoom, Skype, or Google meet at the norm. 5 years from now? We’ll probably meet in the metaverse or whatever the next thing is … but one thing is for sure, we’re not going back.
Do The Work
Some people will never understand our vision. Our choice is to focus on the work. Instead of talking to others about it or seeking approval before it’s done, get to work and show them.
In the doing, we gain the confidence of others. The biggest job we have is to acknowledge that standing out isn’t easy. People around us will push back at anything new and scary, but we do it anyway.
Sounds stubborn, right? It kind of is. When we’re beginning to pursue our creative career we need to have a lot of inner strength. Stand for what we believe in.
Remember, other people won’t understand what we’re doing when it’s on the other side of the status quo. Outside of normal is where things are misunderstood and the support suffers. It doesn’t matter as much as we think it does.
When it comes down to it, we decide what we’re going to do. This is our personal battle and it’s worth fighting. When friends and family have something to say about it, it likely means we’re on the right path. That resistance is fire. Nurture the spark and help it grow, especially when others are trying to blow it out.
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