So you’ve been searching high and low for years now trying to discover your purpose in life. You’ve been jumping from job to job and project to project trying desperately to discover your Big Thing–that thing that makes you want to jump out of bed on a Monday morning. And it feels like you’ve finally found it! Yeah! Only problem is…now you can’t seem to get your friends and family to support your dreams.

It can be hard when you have a dream that’s so big it sets you a part from the crowd. You’ve been told your whole life that you should get a stable 9-5 job and then spend your days working day in and day out, maybe have a kid or two and retire on your meager pension. So it’s no surprise that the people in your life may be having a hard time agreeing with your decision to do something different.

Here are my thoughts on what to do when your friends and family don’t support your dreams.

Understand that they are responding from their own understanding.

Okay, so first things first. Every single person on this planet has an opinion that is based on their own experiences, understanding of the world and their own personal motivation. We’re in a society where the “normal” and safe thing to do is to find a stable job and work for someone else.

Few people are taught to believe that they can make something financial lucrative from their own ideas. So it’s not that they don’t want to support your dreams, it’s just that most of the time their opinions are based on their own fears around failure, a lack of abundance or prosperity. Although they may believe that they have your best interests at heart many times people are driven by a lack of faith. Understand where they are coming from, but don’t allow someone else’s fear to have influence over your life.

Take a look at your energy.

If you’ve never taken the time to examine the energy that you’re bringing to the situation then now is a good time to do so. Do you allow the fear of their opinion to make you hold back your passion? Do you feel doubtful when sharing your dreams with them? I can truly say that since finding my purpose I have never once allowed doubt to creep in and influence my behavior.

My family and friends have had faith in my dreams just as strongly as I have because I’ve never once questioned or wavered on my commitment to it…even when times were unbelievably rough I have stood proudly by my work. So what about you? How much confidence and commitment do you have to your craft and how boldly do you share this commitment? Release the need to please and show up for your life.

Surround yourself with people who ‘get’ you.

For as many friends and family members who don’t support your dreams, there are a thousand other dream-chasers out there who will understand what you’re going through–and many wildly successful ones at that! Be intentional about seeking out friendships and building your network with other online entrepreneurs who actually know what you’re going through and have unwavering faith in the process.

I have a huge number of friends and business contacts that I made by frequenting Facebook groups, reaching out to people via social media and attending live events and conferences. When times get tough in my business I have an amazing support system of people who understand what I’m going through. So go out there and find your people. You will thank me for it later!

Don’t give up.

It’s disheartening when you have a dream and it feels like people around you aren’t being supportive. But stay strong. Keep your eyes focused on your goal and never allow outside influence to deter you from that goal. As time goes by and your friends and family see your commitment to your goal, they’ll come around. And if they don’t? Well there’s probably more going on with them internally than you even understand. In this case it may be time to love them from a distance. Whatever you do though, understand that the pursuit of your dreams will be filled with ups and downs but in the end it’s all totally worth it!

Are you ready to become ‘known’ as a coach, teacher or blogger?! Then go ahead and grab my FREE Beginner’s Guide to Becoming Known. It’s going to teach you 5 things you must master in order to grow your audience and influence online!