Why I Stopped Waiting for People’s Support and Started Supporting Myself

 

   For a long time, I believed that the people closest to me would be my biggest cheerleaders. I thought once I started something my blog, my business, my goals that my friends, family, and even acquaintances would show up, share my posts, comment, and celebrate me. I truly believed support would come naturally, because I’ve always been that person who supports others without being asked. But I was wrong.
It took me months  let me say even years to understand that not everyone will clap for you when you start doing something different. And that realization hurt. It hurt so deeply that there were nights I almost gave up on everything I was building.

But here I am today, stronger and more confident, because I learned the hard way that waiting for people’s support is one of the fastest ways to delay your own success.

 
The Harsh Truth Nobody Told Me
   When I started my blog, I imagined my friends would be my first readers. I thought my posts would fill their WhatsApp statuses, and that my family would proudly share my links. Instead, silence.

No likes.
No shares.
No comments.

    At first, I blamed myself maybe my writing wasn’t good enough, maybe my content wasn’t interesting, maybe I wasn’t doing enough. But over time, I realized it wasn’t about me at all. Some people just won’t support you until others start doing it first.
It’s not always jealousy. Sometimes it’s indifference or because they don't have the time lol🤦. Sometimes they just don’t see what you’re building until it’s big enough to shine without their validation. That’s the painful truth about chasing dreams you can’t rely on people to see your vision until it becomes visible.

 
The Day I Finally Stopped Waiting
   I remember one afternoon when I was staring at my blog stats — barely any clicks, barely any comments. I had poured my heart into my post, but the silence that followed was deafening. I cried, not because of the numbers, but because I felt invisible.
That day, I told myself something I’ll never forget:
“You have to be your own biggest supporter.”
Nobody was coming to save me. Nobody was coming to suddenly make my work go viral. If I wanted growth, I had to push it myself — promote it myself, believe in it myself, talk about it with pride even if no one else did. That was the day I stopped waiting and started moving.

 
How I Started Supporting Myself
   I began small. I shared my posts everywhere — Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, TwitterX, even WhatsApp stories not because people were sharing them, but because I believed in them. I stopped being shy about my blog. I mentioned it in conversations. I wrote like someone who had something valuable to say. I stopped worrying about who was watching and focused on showing up consistently.
    Then something shifted I started seeing small wins. Random strangers began commenting, not friends. Readers from other countries started visiting. One day, someone messaged me just to say, “I love your writing.” That one message reminded me that my voice mattered, even if those closest to me didn’t say it. That’s when I realized that the world will only believe in you after you believe in yourself first.

 
The Funny Thing About Support
    When you start growing, the same people who didn’t clap will eventually come around. They’ll start saying, “I always knew you’d make it,” or “I used to read your posts.” But the truth is, you no longer need their validation at that point.
Support feels nice, but it’s not what builds success — consistency does. I learned that when you stop waiting for approval, you move faster. When you stop overthinking who’s watching, you create better. And when you start trusting yourself fully, opportunities start finding you.

It’s almost as if the universe rewards you the moment you stop doubting your own worth.

 
What I Learned About People and Growth
    Growth is lonely at first. You’ll lose some people. Like I lost some follower on Facebook and someone messaged me to let me know that he was unfollowing me because he thought I had made it but me showing myself and my 'poor' environment says otherwise 🤦.You’ll confuse others. But the right ones will find you when you start walking your path confidently.
     Sometimes people can’t support you because your courage reminds them of their own fears. They see you doing what they’ve been too scared to do, so instead of clapping, they stay quiet. It’s human nature but it shouldn’t stop you.
The moment you stop expecting everyone to understand your dream is the moment you become unstoppable.

 
Supporting Yourself Looks Like This
It looks like posting that blog link even when nobody clicks it.
It looks like waking up early to write, even when you’re tired.
It looks like believing your time will come even when your stats say otherwise.

    Supporting yourself means choosing not to give up when it’s still quiet. It means showing up for your own dream with the same energy you’ve given to others for free.
That’s how I grew. That’s how I changed my mindset. That’s how I started winning not because the world finally saw me, but because I saw myself first.

 
Why This Matters
    Every big dream starts small and unseen. Nobody sees the effort behind the early days the empty stats, the quiet nights, the posts with zero comments. But that’s when character is built.

If you’re reading this and feeling unseen right now, remember this: the people you think should support you might never do it. But that doesn’t mean you’re not doing something amazing. It just means your vision is bigger than their imagination.

You don’t need everyone to believe in you you just need one person. You! Believe in yourself you will be alright 😊.

Conclusion
       I stopped waiting for people’s support because I realized waiting keeps you stuck. The day I started supporting myself, everything began to change. My confidence grew. My creativity came alive. My blog started moving, slowly but surely.

The best kind of support is self-belief. When you believe in what you’re doing, your energy shifts and people start noticing.

So stop waiting for validation. Start clapping for yourself. Share your work proudly. Show up every day like your name is already known. Because one day, it will be. You just have to believe it before everyone else does.

Follow me on bitesandbeauty.com.ng for more real talks about life, growth, confidence, and the quiet strength it takes to build your own lane.

Love 💕,

Ogochukwu.