How to Support Your Unconventional Friends

In my short time on this planet, I’ve had a few significant personal and career inflection points. Each of these required going against the grain, ignoring the status quo, and betting on myself.

Each of these was also a product of doing the exact opposite of what 98% of people told me to do.

The hard truth about taking the unconventional path is that most people won’t understand you.

So be prepared. Instead of excitement, you’ll be met with pushback — advice masked in projection of their own fear and lack of risk tolerance.

They won’t understand what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, or how you’re doing it. Because of this, they also won’t know how to support you on whatever that path is.

Last week, I wrote a LinkedIn post discussing how you can easily support your entrepreneurial and creative friends. Based on the engagement, it seemed to strike a chord.

Did some people feel guilted into liking or commenting on the post? Maybe. But over half the people who liked, commented, or messaged me about the post were self-starters in their own right.

Unsurprisingly, this lack of support from people who may not fully ‘get it’ is a common sentiment shared among the entrepreneurial community. Which is exactly why self-starters are often the same people who go out of their way to shine light on others’ work whenever they have the chance.

I still remember every single person who’s shared my work, wrote me a nice note, or pre-ordered my book. I remember every person who told me they believed in me when I said I was planning on leaving my job. I remember every person who’s ever engaged with a piece of content I’ve posted.

And I sure as hell remember everyone who didn’t.

So let this essay serve as a reminder: If you have someone in your life who is pursuing their own path — support them. Engage with their content, share their work, introduce them to new people, and buy their products at full price.

Trust me, these small gestures work as fuel that keeps us going in tough times (aka most of them)

And to anyone with ambition…

Every now and then you’ll meet a few people who share genuine excitement for your crazy ideas. They tell you to go all in. That they know you’re going to crush it. They’ll do whatever they can to see you succeed, regardless if they have any idea what you actually do.

When you find these people, hold on tight.