When someone tells you to follow your dreams, they don’t realize that your dreams, if followed, will impact other people. They assume that since your dreams probably won’t affect them personally, your dreams won’t affect anyone.
Of course, they’re not consciously ignoring this. It’s just an assumption. They’re not aware of it.
But what if you turn it around for them? What if you show them how your dreams will affect them personally? Suddenly, everyone pushes back. They’re like, “You can’t force your opinion on others. That’s wrong.”
So it’s an opinion now, not a dream. See, to them, dreams are things that will never happen, even if they’re telling you to make them happen. Opinions, though, seem scarier, especially when they encroach on other opinions.
Like let’s say your dream is to provide safe drinking water for villages in Africa. Great dream, right? Who’s going to oppose that? Most are going to jump at the opportunity to encourage you to pursue that dream.
Until you start making it happen. As soon as you ask for donations, as soon as you suggest moving your family, as soon as you take any serious steps toward your goal, everyone gets offended. “Whoa, whoa! Hold up. You can’t do that.”
Dreams are easy to endorse as long as no one counts the costs. Everyone wants you to follow your dreams as long as your dreams don’t challenge theirs.
