No matter who you are, there can be tremendous social consequences to creating real change.
If you’ve gotten into the habit of being extraordinary in ordinary circumstances, you know that it often confuses people who customarily uphold the status quo. Some people don’t like it. Some work against it. Some just don’t understand it. You know what I mean — they make that face.
Many won’t grasp what you’re trying to do. It’s bewildering, or threatening. People sometimes sour, or drift away. Sometimes they feel affronted. Some detach and disconnect. Sometimes there is anger, or resentment; sometimes only silence.
This is okay.
Some will think it’s wonderful. Some will praise your efforts, lend you a hand when you need one, lift you up when you’re down, and remind you how important it is that you continue to do what you’re doing. Those people make change possible — the ones who are willing to champion it. The ones who recognize its early signs and make some room.
Sometimes they’re inspired. Sometimes you find out that something you said or did made an enormous difference in a decision made by a friend, or a situation they were dealing with. Sometimes your relationship grows much stronger, even when you’re spending less dedicated time together. Sometimes, you realize how similar you really are.
Strange, but true.
That doesn’t mean the nay-sayers don’t make it hard. But it’s good to remember that the nay-sayers aren’t the point. The change is the point. The positive impact is the point. And all of us helping each other up — that’s the point.
I believe in keeping close family and friends close in business and life. Some relationships will change; relationships change over time anyway, but Making Something Happen causes them to change more dramatically, more quickly. You find out who your friends are, and who your family is; you find out who believes in you, who supports you, who understands what you’re working for. Some will understand the purpose you strive towards and some won’t. That shouldn’t keep you from striving. But it’s very important to identify the difference between the casual social connections and the essential ones.
I don’t think it’s necessary to throw away a relationship that just isn’t doing what you want it to do. But letting it stop you is foolish. The smart ones — the important ones — will understand that what you’re doing is a mandatory element of who you are, something intensely meaningful for you.
(If you’re identifying with this diatribe and thinking about losses of friendship, I hope what you’re doing is intensely meaningful for you. Otherwise, I’d work on that part first.)
Once you make your peace with this, you can move forward. You can Make Something Happen. And it will feel really, really good.
But until you do, there will always be that nagging feeling… that there’s more.
Sound familiar?
Megan Elizabeth Morris (aka MEM, Megan the M.) is a bonafide professional catalyst and adventurer. She's the Ideaschema instigator, orchestrator and autodidact, and you can find out more about her by clicking here.Got an idea? Something we haven't thought of? Whatever you're thinking, we want to hear it. Please feel free to leave comments or email us by clicking here.
