Be Prepared for Resistance

When it comes to making a big change in your life, you may need to be prepared for resistance from other people.

While you may be excited about your big life change, the people closest to you might not share the same enthusiasm.

Regardless of whether your life change is moving to another city (or country), changing careers, ending a marriage, starting a relationship or starting your own business, there can be people in your life who don’t embrace your decision.

Unfortunately, their lack of enthusiasm (or even downright hostility) could dampen your excitement. At worse, they could have you doubting yourself and your decision.

Here are some examples of resistance that you might have to deal with when you make a big life change.

Strap yourself in folks, resistance can be a bumpy ride!

Why would you do that?

What may come as a surprise is how your family and friends react to the thrill ride you have embarked on.

People may not be happy with this new direction your life is taking. Some may see your actions as foolish, while others may view your actions as brave.

If you are giving up what your parents perceive to be a ‘safe’ job, they might not understand why, particularly if they are elderly and set in their thinking.

All they might see is what you are giving up, instead of what you are gaining.

Older generations didn’t move as much from job to job. Many stayed at the same company their whole lives.  Nowadays it is not uncommon to change careers (let alone jobs) several times throughout our working life.

You may be able to talk some skeptics around. If not, it may be simply easier for your sanity to agree to disagree.

Related content – 

• 3 Ways to Dramatically Improve Your Positive Self-Talk 
• 20 Ways to Stop Caring What Other People Think
• 7 Signs You Are Taking on Other People’s Problems
• Know Your Trigger Words and How to Deal with Them

Creative Yearnings? You simply must be mad

If you are pursuing a dream in a creative field, be prepared for even more questions and possibly a few are you crazy looks? 

Writing, blogging, singing, dancing, acting, painting, etc are tough competitive gigs. There is no doubt about that. Lots of people don’t make it and fall by the wayside. A lot of people also achieve success.

The thing to keep in mind if you choose a creative profession is that to succeed you are going to need a pretty thick skin. You need to be able to handle rejection, deal with negative feedback and much more.

Toughen yourself up and move forward with your plan.

Related post – Do We Need to Toughen Up?

You are doing what?

When I told people I was starting a blog and online business, I got some mixed feedback. Mainly because some of my friends didn’t know what a blog was. Once I told them what was involved, they were supportive.

If you are planning something big or totally different chances are you will meet with resistance. If you are planning on moving to a place on the world map that no one has heard of, expect some interesting comments or at least blank stares when you first share the news.

Don’t let the reaction of others rattle you. Stay focused on your path.

Related post – Know Your Own Worth Even When it Feels like the World Doesn’t Quite Agree With You

Who supports you may come as a surprise

One thing that surprised me when I took a year off to write full time, was the response (or rather lack of) from one of my closest friends. In the past, she had always been very supportive of my writing.

During my time off, she rarely asked me how my writing was going or what I was working on? She seemed to show no interest in my big creative change. Other people that I didn’t know anywhere near as well asked lots of interesting questions.

It may come as a surprise who supports you and who doesn’t so be prepared.

Upsetting the apple cart

If you do something bold, it can make it harder for your friends or family to keep coming up with excuses for them to NOT do something bold.

They may have been talking about a big dream they’ve wanted for some time but they have been simply too scared to try.

By embarking on your adventure, you are making them re-examine their own goals and dreams, which can be confronting.

Change, in general, does not sit well with a lot of people. Their resistance could simply be fear of change.

Find people who are supportive

This can be a bit tricky at first if it’s a field you are totally new to. You may have no connections whatsoever when you first start out.

Don’t let this put you off. Keep your mind open to meeting new people and welcoming new opportunities.

Start spending time with like-minded professionals and over time you will build up new connections.

Be prepared for resistance

Be prepared for resistance when you make a big life change. There will be people who don’t believe in what you are doing. There will be people who want you to follow their plan for you, instead of the dream you have for yourself.

Believe in yourself. Stay strong. Go after what you want with determination and courage.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends on social media. One of your friends might be dealing with resistance to change today and could do with some support and encouragement.

Read Next – How to Believe in Yourself When People Don’t Support You