When I started blogging 5 years ago, I had very few real life supporters. Some of my friends and family members did support me but many didn’t. When I say support, I mean they didn’t visit my blog as regularly as I would want them to or didn’t bother visiting at all. Some did visit secretly but won’t leave a comment or share my blog post, so I didn’t consider that support. It was more of them being curious, noisy and to have something else to chat about. They didn’t share or comment on my blog posts but rather were quick to criticise and offer clueless advise.
My Support System
So I had a very small support system with my mum being my greatest cheerleader. She was and still is my biggest support system when it comes to my work here online. And I am sure that is the same for many of us. Mothers are the best right?
I can never understand why people find it so hard to support other people’s dreams and passions. I don’t know anyone in my real life that blogs. The ones I did know back in the day, have abandoned their blogs so it sometimes gets to me. I wish I had friends with blogs so we could bounce off ideas and exchange crazy emails we get but I don’t have any of that unfortunately. I have made a few blogger friends online but not met any in real life really so it is still friendship from a distance. But back to the point, I struggled in the early days to keep blogging without a support system. I found it so difficult to get over the fact that people were just funny like that when you pursue your dreams.
I still remember a particular scenario concerning a certain lady I thought was a friend. I was so excited when I started Fashion and Style Police, I shared the link happily with her. The blog was just a couple of days old, so there were only a couple of blog posts on here. The only good thing this friend had to say was that there were only a few blog posts on here. And I was like what? I only started blogging the other day, how many were you hoping to see? She had nothing good to say except to criticise so I got rid of that friendship after a few more funny encounters.
No Support System
Life has taught me that it is OK not to have a strong support system when you embark on something that sets your soul on fire. It is OK not to get the validation form those closest to you. You don’t need the approval of anyone to pursue your dreams. It is great to have your family and friends in your corner, cheering you on but it is OK not to. As you carry on in the pursuit of happiness, whatever that might be, you will eventually get to a stage where you no longer notice those who support you as you will be overwhelmed with support from those that matter.
Close friendships may fade away with time and new real friendship that truly matter will develop. And at the end of day, you realise you don’t really need a support system to reach for the stars. It would be great to have one but you can still do you without one. Remember why you started and stay focused. Establish good relationships and break off those that undermine your business. Keep your circle small and tight. The rest would follow. Life has taught me that and much more…..
Check out this mental health family resources for more information on how to deal with many life issues.
*Collaborative post.