By Calynn M. Lawrence
@fairytalefacesbycalynn
Are you someone who is chasing your dream? Are you also someone who is facing some form of discouragement from your family or friends about your career path? Well, we’re here for you! This article is meant to encourage all who are being constantly told that they will never make anything of themselves. Here’s what you need to do when someone says “You’ll never get anywhere in fashion.”
#1 ASSESS THE REASON THEY ARE SAYING THIS
This should always be the first thing you do when you receive any type of opposition from anyone. You need to figure out first, why the person is opposed to what you are doing. Are they a parent who is simply concerned for your well being? Maybe they know that you have been pursuing this for a while and are not necessarily progressing as fast as they had hoped? In which case, try to take it with a grain of salt and just chalk it up to them being concerned for your wellbeing. Or are they simply a hater who looks to find fault in others because they did not pursue their dreams? In which case, just laugh at their misery and do not let them bring you down. If anything, you should try to help them!
#2 LET THAT OPPOSITION BE YOUR MOTIVATION
If you want to look at this from a positive perspective then you can use that opposition as a catalyst for your ambition. You should let the fact that people are anticipating your failure be means for you to work that much harder with the goal of proving them wrong! It may not be the traditional cheers from the bleachers that some may be accustomed to but it still is a form of motivation. Your drive to pursue your dream should be strong as it is if you plan on success. However, how much stronger should it then be if you know that people will be that much more surprised at your valiance!
#3 TAKE IT AS A LEARNING LESSON
The golden rule of treating ones how you want to be treated certainly applies to this situation! If you recognize that you do not enjoy the constant opposition then make sure that you do not make anyone else feel that way. If anything, you should make sure that you provide positive reinforcement when you are speaking with other aspiring talent. Surely, you will gain the same reassurance and encouragement from them!
#4 ALWAYS HAVE A BACK UP PLAN
The worst thing that can happen to someone’s ego is for the people who opposed them to turn out right in the end. Therefore, make sure that you always have a back up plan and have multiple streams of income. This way, if for some reason your dream career does not work out you can be able to say that you are still successful in the end.
An example of this would be if you are entering college and wish to be a fashion designer. DO NOT major only in fashion design. Because fashion design is a field that you do not necessarily need a degree in, you do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket and then find your degree to prove useless. Instead, try double majoring in Fashion Design and a more practical study such as business or education. Perhaps, even make fashion design your minor while you study something a bit more marketable so that you can have better chances of landing a position after graduation.
Another example of this would be with entrepreneurship. I can speak from experience. ALWAYS begin your business with at least one of the following: a hefty savings account or a part time job. The savings account will allow you to focus solely on your business while still having a financial cushion so that you are not solely dependant on your business. The part time job will take away some time from your business but you will have a consistent stream of income and you will continue building your resume.
These are simply a few suggestions to apply when you are facing opposition from those you know about your career choice. Try applying these tips and let us know how they worked out for you! Hopefully, they are beneficial.
