“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great, they make you feel that you, too, can become great.” ~Mark Twain
You are excited. You have a dream, lets just say it is to quit your job and start blogging for a living, and you want to share it with the world. You start with telling your boyfriend. He says, “Yea right, wouldn’t we all like to be able to quit our jobs and play around on the computer. Come on, nobody really makes any money blogging. Good luck with that.”
…the pessimistic dream squasher
Your ego is bruised, but you carry on by sharing your good news with your parents. There is no doubt that the people who reared you will be optimistic about your goal. You are told, “honey, why would you chance leaving a stable, good paying job that you went to 4 years of college for? What about your benefits and vacation time?”
…the practical dream squasher
Ouch. Pressing on, though a tad beaten up, you reach out to your trusted coworker who shares your 6×6 cubicle. She says, “How do you plan on doing that when it takes you 3 hours to write a sales report and another 2 to edit it?”
…the jealous dream squasher
Crushed, battered and bruised, you walk away with your tail between your legs and your dream stored back on the shelf.
…the dream squasher wins
Beware…dream squashers are all around you and you will encounter them throughout your life. They don’t understand your ambition and they have no qualms about letting you know.
Here’s a simple question for you “why would you listen to the advice of someone who has not acquired what you want?”
Would you take marriage advice from from an unhappy couple?
Would you hire a financial advisor who is bankrupt?
Would you trust a restaurant business consultant who has never had a successful food establishment?
Then, why would you let a non-dreamer guide you with your goals?
The answer is fear…fear that you are not good enough. When this fear arises, we usually turn to friends & family for reassurance. But, when they do not give it to us we resign to their beliefs instead of believing in ourselves.
Here’s a few tips to squashing the dream squasher:
- Look for guidance from the leaders in your goals field
- Surround yourself with motivational and inspiring people
- Be selective with whom you share you goals with
- Last, but not least…SUCCEED…and show everyone how dreams can become reality with confidence and passion.
It may take time to build your network of supporters, but they are out there. Motivated dreamers support other dreamers, you just need to find them.
