What to Do When Your Friends and Family Don’t Support Your Dreams

One thing big dreamers have in common is the conundrum of what to do when your friends and family don’t support your dreams. Can you relate? Then this article is perfect for you!

Let’s talk about one of the hardest things that doesn’t get talked about enough: chasing your dream and realizing the people closest to you don’t fully get it—or worse, don’t support it. If you’ve ever felt the sting of sharing your vision only to be met with blank stares, skepticism, or “Is that really a good idea?”—you’re not alone.

I remember a few years ago, I’d been a coach for awhile. My uncle was asking me about what my goals were and I started talking about my coaching business. He turned to me, laughed, and said “do you want me to tell you what I think of a life coach?” I knew where this was going. I knew he thought it was not legit. I knew he was going to stomp on my parade. I told him that “No, that’s ok.” The last thing I wanted to do was hear how he didn’t believe in my dream. Years before we had a similar conversation about me wanting to be social worker, so I had finally gained the confidence to set a boundary.

It took a long time to give myself permission to not need external validation and approval. To set boundaries on what I told people about my life.

Once a people pleaser, wanting to fit in and be approved of, I know how HARD it can be when those closest to you that are supposed to be your support system don’t understand your dream or vision and don’t support it as a legit path forward.

Funnily enough, many of my clients have struggled with this too. And while it hurts, it doesn’t have to stop you. In fact, it can become a powerful part of your growth if you know how to handle it.

Let’s jump in and make a powerful mindset shift around not receiving the support from your family and friends.

1. Take a Deep Breath—It’s Not Always About You

When someone you love doesn’t support your dream, your first instinct might be to question yourself: “Am I crazy? Am I making a mistake? Why don’t they believe in me?” But the truth is, their reaction often has less to do with you and more to do with their own fears or limitations.

Maybe they’ve never seen someone successfully start a business or follow a nontraditional path. Maybe your courage to step outside the norm is unintentionally shining a light on their own unfulfilled dreams. Or maybe they just worry about you and want to protect you from disappointment.

I had a client who wanted to leave her 9-5 job to go back to cosmetology school. This wasn’t something she had seen anyone else do, didn’t have anyone in her immediate network that had dared to venture into something other than the 9-5 world. She feared that her traditional, cultural family wouldn’t approve of her making this huge life change. Eventually after communicating with her family, they started to support her. Her mother even came with her to tour the school she was applying to.

Here’s the thing to remember: The beliefs that our families and friends embody are fears and doubts, and stories passed down from generation to generation. Definitions of success and ideas around “the American dream” are how they have made decisions and navigated their own lives.

Sometimes what we are doing feels risky to others, challenges their own belief system. And if they don’t have examples of others embarking on a similar journey, they may not be able to understand your vision.

2. Give Yourself Permission to Want What You Want

Here’s the truth: You don’t need everyone’s approval to go after what you feel called to do. You were given your dream for a reason. It lives in you for a reason.

We’re so conditioned to seek validation from others—especially those we love. But if you wait for everyone to “get it” before you move, you might stay stuck forever. Your dream doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. It only has to feel aligned for you.

You are the one that has to be happy with your life, your decisions. You’re the one that knows how you want to grow, what you want to learn, how you want to live your life, what would be a more aligned fit for you.

If your vision lights you up, that’s enough. You are the one who has to wake up and live your life every day. You are the one who has to feel fulfilled and in integrity with your choices. That power belongs to you. Here’s how I look at it: at the end of your life, you are the one you have to answer to, the one that will either be proud or regret.

Try this: Journal on the question, “What do I really want for my life, regardless of what anyone else thinks?” Let the answers guide you back to your truth.

Also, check out this article in THE JOURNAL: You Don’t Need Permission: How to Own Your Dreams and Go After What You Want

3. Find Your Expanders (AKA Soul-Aligned Support)

Just because your inner circle doesn’t support your dream right now doesn’t mean no one will. You just might need to expand your circle. We can’t choose our family, but we can choose our community. It doesn’t mean you have to stop associating with the people currently in your life, it just means you need to cast a wider net and diversify your network.

An “expander” is someone who shows you what’s possible. Someone who believes in your vision, even if you’re still figuring it out yourself. These are the people who reflect your potential back to you and remind you you’re not crazy for wanting more.

So where do you find them? Start by putting yourself in rooms where people are chasing similar goals. Join a group program. Find a business coach. Attend a networking event or workshop. Connect with others online who share your values and ambition.

One of the most transformative things I did in my early days of entrepreneurship was joining a mastermind. I finally felt seen and supported. These women were doing amazing things that I never thought I was capable of. Each one started a podcast and encouraged me to start mine as well. These women weren’t questioning why I wanted to build something different—they were doing it too. And that made all the difference.

4. Protect Your Energy + Your Vision

In the early stages of your dream, it can feel fragile. You might be building your belief slowly, step by step. That’s why it’s important to protect your energy and your vision.

Not everyone deserves front-row access to your goals—especially if their energy leaves you feeling drained, doubtful, or discouraged.

It’s okay to keep things close to your chest until you feel more grounded. It’s okay to set boundaries with those who project their fears onto you. You don’t have to cut people off completely, but you can decide how much influence they have over your decisions.

I bare my entrepreneurial heart out to my entrepreneurial friends, and others that are my cheerleaders, but I don’t share as much with family and friends who just don’t understand or get it. I still love those people and love their roles in my life and support they give me in other areas of my life, but my entrepreneurial dreams and decisions I share with those that will help me grow in that area and celebrate with me.

5. Let Your Results Speak for You

Some people just need to see it to believe it. And honestly? That’s okay.

You don’t have to waste your energy convincing people of your dream. The more you show up, stay consistent, and build momentum, the more they’ll start to see that this isn’t just a “phase.”

Don’t tell them, show them!

Eventually, the same people who questioned you might be the ones who say, “Wow, I’m proud of you.”

Many of them might be inspired by you and ask you how you did it.

But even if they don’t, you will know you stayed true to yourself. And that matters more than anyone else’s validation ever could.

Once you start taking action and building your confidence, you’ll find you won’t NEED their support. Once you’ve proven what you are capable of, and stepped into what was once a dream, you won’t need that validation that you can succeed. You won’t need confirmation that you are doing something right or ok.

Keep taking the next aligned step. Keep doing the inner work. Keep building a life and business that feel like you. Your results will speak louder than any explanation ever could.

Bonus: Use the Doubt as Fuel

Sometimes, a lack of support can actually become powerful fuel. Use the doubt, the eye rolls, the “Are you sure?” comments to fire up your determination.

You don’t have to prove anyone wrong, but you can prove yourself right. Let your belief be louder than their doubt.

Create a daily mantra like, “I believe in my dream, even if no one else does yet.”

Build your evidence bank: write down every win, every step forward, every moment of courage.

I have a celebration jar where I write down all the little milestones, progress, small little wins. I put them on colored paper so that as the jar fills up I see all that I’ve accomplished. How far I’ve come. It reminds me that I am learning and growing, that I am getting outside my comfort zone, that I am capable of making my dreams happen.

Let the silence from others become the sound of your own voice getting stronger.

Final Thoughts:

If your friends and family don’t support your dreams, it doesn’t mean your dream isn’t valid. It means you’re doing something bold. Something different. Something not everyone is brave enough to even imagine, let alone pursue.

You are not selfish. You are not unrealistic. You are not wrong for wanting more.

You are a visionary. You are a pioneer. You are a dreamer with the courage to make it real.

So keep going. Even if they don’t understand you now, you’re allowed to understand yourself.

Your future self will thank you.

Next Steps

Want more support on this journey?
If you need someone to share your vision, to hold you accountable, to understand what you are creating, to support you along the way, book a free 30 minute Momentum call with me and let’s build your confidence and create a plan that will have you stepping into that dream.

It’s time to stop sitting on the sidelines and start seeing the results you desire!