But What Would People Think?

This is a guest post from a good friend of mine and one inspiring dude. Joel Boggess is a life coach and the host for Finding Your Voice Radio. His new book is titled “Finding Your Voice” – sort through the clutter and discover clarity, confidence and direction. Don’t miss out on some impressive bonuses he’s offering. 

Have you ever thought, I’ d love to… be a stay at home parent, get a job, move across the country or to the other side of the planet, start a new business or a charity, write a book, or ____________ (fill in the blank with your own wild dream), but what would people think?

You aren’t alone. Jacquelynn fought against the confinement of social expectations when she decided to make a career switch from nursing to acting. “Nursing is noble,” she says. “When I tell people I’m a nurse, they say, ‘Oh, that’s so great!’ or ‘You’re such an angel.’ But when I started telling people I wanted to act, the reaction was usually something like, ‘That’s what kids do.’ It’s easy to have a socially acceptable career. Acting, or really any of the arts, are looked at more like a hobby, not a vocation.”

As Jacquelynn experienced, it can be tough to fight against others’ expectations, but fighting yourself is far more difficult. The energy she exerted attempting to deny her dream left her exhausted and the stress taxed her health and her relationships. The day she finally gave into what she really wanted, her shift in focus and energy changed dramatically. In a very real sense, she had spent years fighting a losing battle.

My encouragement to her was to stop fighting herself. “Lay down the gloves; surrender to who you are – and also to who you are not”. That moment, she said, “Tension and stress immediately left my body.” In the following weeks, she created a workable plan to transition into her new career. She has since secured several professional acting gigs and is intentionally working to build contacts and pursue her dream.

Bottom line: If you’re going to rattle your own cage, you can be sure you’ll ruffle a few feathers. Don’t allow others’ expectations – or your perception of others’ expectations – to keep you from soaring.

What has worrying about other people’s opinion kept you from?