Do you ever keep your ideas and dreams to yourself, in fear of sharing it with others and them not approving of it? Do you dread the idea of sharing your grandest dream and having it be put down or worse yet, laughed at? A large portion of the population stops dreaming all together because of it. They cringe at the idea of their dream being shot down and rejected by a naysayer!

We have all had a dream and we have all been shot down by a naysayer before. It doesn’t feel good, does it? In fact, it feels terrible!

I can remember back to when I had found my true calling and purpose in life. It was when I was introduced to studying the law of attraction, human potential and development, and other personal growth information. Every cell in my body came alive when I was talking about, studying it, reading it, even thinking about it and dreaming about it!

I had NEVER felt like this before!

I had this crazy thirst and hunger for this information and I found myself putting hours and hours of my time and energy into learning all that I could get my hands on.

Once I realized that you could actually make a living from this work, I went on to become a professionally certified coach, speaker, and trainer. I knew in my heart of hearts that I was finally exactly where I needed to be professionally. Only catch was that I was still at my full time day job. I decided it was time for me follow my dream, take the leap and leave my corporate day job.

This was a huge decision for me and the day had come where I decided to tell my parents about my career change and decision to go out on my own as a business owner. My parents have always been supportive, so I expected nothing short of their encouragement and support, especially since I had already started to create some great successes. When I told them, my Dad was his typical self, very supportive, but very inquisitive, making sure I had done my research of the industry and that there was a demand for this sort of thing.

My mom on the other hand wasn’t her typical supportive self. She said, “When you FAIL, don’t come running back to me because I’ll tell you I told you so!” It was one of those moments that take your breath away. I had always had her support, so I didn’t know what to do with that kind of reaction. For a hot second I thought, “What am I doing? I’m crazy! Why would I throw everything away and start over?” In that moment I felt terrible! I never expected the naysayer of my dream to be my very own Mom! I thought that for just a second and then I thought, “NO this is MY DREAM!” Every cell in my body knows this is it!!

At that moment I knew I had just proved something very powerful to myself. I proved to myself that I was willing to go forward with or without my Mom’s support and that indeed this was my true calling. On the surface it seemed like a terrible event, but really it was the greatest affirmation to me and actually exactly what I needed to light a fire under me and get me turning my dream into a reality! It was defining moment for me.

I now believe that when we encounter a naysayer that it can be such a beautiful defining moment for us. It’s the naysayers that cause us to look within and ask ourselves if we really believe in ourselves and in our dreams. We get to ask ourselves if our belief is stronger than their disbelief. What a gift!

Without the naysayers, we may never really know just how committed we really are! It can be the naysayer’s doubt that calls forth your belief to shine bright! That voice within you emerges and says, “YES, I CAN!” As weird as it may sound, I have actually come to appreciate the purpose of a naysayer.

It may be worth you appreciating too because naysayers are all around and they don’t discriminate! No one is immune to them. Not the young, old, black, white, rich, poor; it doesn’t matter. I say that not to scare you, but rather to impress upon you the idea that you are not meant to run and hide from the naysayers, but rather you are meant to build your belief and faith in your dreams to be stronger than their doubt. Appreciate them for what they can do for you!

The fear of a naysayer is just a reflection of your lack of belief in yourself and in your dream!

How do you build your belief to be
stronger than a naysayer’s disbelief?

Here are 3 tips to becoming naysayer-proof!  

1. Fall in love with your dream! What I have come to believe, is that when you fall in love with something or someone, your willingness to take action and take risks skyrockets!!
2. Sell your dream over and over back to yourself. You must be sold on your dream more than anyone else is! Every day recommit to your dream and its purpose.
3. Fill your inner circle with family, friends, colleagues, and mentors who believe in you and your dream! You must be surrounded by people who believe in you and want to see you succeed! These encouragers will lift you up when you need it most! Now, recognize at times someone in your inner circle may challenge you and your dream, not to be a naysayer, but rather to help you explore further options. You want to surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth, and sometimes that may sound like a “nay” but be intended to be “yay.” Be open to feedback from your inner circle. Just always make sure they have your best interests in mind.

Make these 3 tips are part of your lifestyle and your belief will be rock solid and no naysayer will ever squash your dream!!

And the for curious minds, Yes, my Mom soon came around and to this day she is my all-time greatest fan and gives me more support and encouragement than I could have ever dreamed of! Thanks Mom!

I would love to hear from you! Tell us below how has a naysayer in your life been a defining moment for you? After reading this article, how will you look differently at the naysayers in your world?

Keep Living The Dream!
Melissa