When people make fun of you, when people put you down or try to stop you from where you are going, it means that you are making them uncomfortable in their complacency.
You are a living reminder that they aren't being their best self.
Don't let that stop you.​
Time and time again I have witnessed people who have been laughed at. People who have been torn down by family and friends because their dreams were "too big". Yet they stand before us today having accomplished their dreams and more. And now their family and friends aren't laughing anymore.
To be honest, I am one of those people but I'm in the midst of the laughs. Gandhi once said, "First they laugh, then they ridicule, then they tear down, then they join." Of course, my family and friends would never ridicule...but boy are they laughing. Or in some cases, shaming. And that's the hardest part. The shame that comes from stepping outside, not only your comfort zone but the comfort zone of others. What I mean by that is, everyone puts others in a box. A box of what they are supposed to be, supposed to do. That is their comfort zone for you. That is who they know you to be. But when you step out of that box, that comfort zone they've put you in, you are reminding them that there is more that can be accomplished. There is more to you than they know and it makes them uncomfortable.
Come back to the dark side. Come back to the nice little box I've constructed for you. Forget the dreams and aspirations you have because I have these right here for you that are "me" approved. That way you won't challenge me to do more with my life and I can continue living in blissful ignorance. And I'm not saying everyone is ignorant, but it is the ones that aren't ignorant and still choose to live in their box that saddens me. And I refuse to be one of those people. I'd rather face the shame and ridicule of doing something more with my life, growing my dreams, challenging myself to be more than I am today, than live in, not only the comfort zone of others, but my comfort zone as well.
People want to see you succeed as much as they want to see you fail. I heard one of my mentors say that whenever he was ridiculed or torn down for what he was doing, he turned around and said, "So you judge your success by other peoples failures." And that's how it goes for most people, though they would never admit it. Granted, I wouldn't actually say that directly to someone, but it makes you think for a split second. Or at least it makes me think. What if I do judge my success by others failures or vice versa...well to be honest, my life would definitely, from the outside, look like a whole, miserable failure. But from behind closed doors, I'm a threat to the comfort zone of the people I'm surrounded by because my dream is bigger than their's. And I'm actually doing something about it.
A year ago, on the first of January, when most people make their resolutions they know they aren't going to keep, I made a resolution to become financially independent. Of course, at the time, all I wanted was to be off my parents dollar (which I still haven't quite gotten there yet...thanks for the insurance, mom and dad). Then, about a month later, "financially independent" took on a whole new meaning and it has made those around me incredibly uncomfortable because my dream outgrew theirs.
Strength and knowing why you are doing what you are doing is all that has gotten me through the shame and laughs and ridicule from the people I value the most. And one day, when my dream becomes a reality, I will be able to bless those around me, particularly those I care about most, despite their disbelief and silent coaxing back to the box they made for me.
So let me leave you with this, face the haters knowing that their laughs, shame, and ridicule has nothing to do with you but is instead about them and their insecurities, their comfort zone, and their dreams. Don't go back in the box they've constructed for you. When you have a dream, pursue it, even if it makes you and others around you uncomfortable. Face those haters and know you are doing this, not for them but despite them. You are doing this for you.