If people know you well, they often won’t support you.

The Truth About Support and Familiarity! Familiarity can kill respect. Your family still sees you as the kid who couldn’t stick to anything. Your old friends remember when you were broken and lost. Your coworkers knew you when you were just trying to get by.

So, when you start winning, it doesn’t make sense to them. You launch a business, and they ask when you’re going to get a "real" job. Creating something new and they question why you’re wasting money on what they see as a scam. You begin to level up, and they fall silent.

It’s not that strangers are nicer; it’s that strangers meet you where you are now. The people who have known you for a long time struggle to let go of who you were. Your cousin still thinks you are the one who dropped out of college. Your childhood friend remembers when you had nothing figured out. Your parents worry that you’re making a mistake because they’ve seen you make them before.

Familiarity breeds comfort, and comfort can breed jealousy. Watching you change forces those around you to confront the fact that they haven’t changed themselves. Your growth acts as a mirror, and most people don’t like what they see. They can’t support what makes them feel left behind.

So yes, if they know you, they probably won’t support you. But that’s not rejection; it’s confirmation that you’ve outgrown your circle. And that’s simply human nature.

Embracing New Connections

As I reflect on my journey, I’m grateful to have a supportive family that has always been there for me. However, I also have a special appreciation for strangers. When we meet, you see me for who I am right now, without the baggage of my past.

In those moments, connections are made, and I often find that strangers can become friends in an instant. If you are a stranger, you are my friend.