32 Facts To Remember When People Don’t ‘Get You’

Not everyone is going to like you, and it has nothing to do with you or your likability.
The world is not designed for us to have 7+ billion friends and supporters.
Your job is most definitely NOT to please everyone or to be understood by everyone.
It is natural to want to be understood and liked, but that is a want, not an inherent need. The sooner you distinguish this and let go, the sooner you will find peace within and power for your path forward.
You must live your life for yourself, not for other people.
THE BIG, BOLD, AND PAINFUL TRUTH MOST PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO HEAR: Sometimes the people who don’t “get you” are your family and friends, and you have to go outside your normal networks to find like-minded people who will support you in ways they can’t. It doesn’t make your family wrong. It doesn’t make your friends wrong. It doesn’t make you right. It just means you are different. We all have people in our lives for seasons, reasons, or a lifetime. Each person in your life has different skills, capacities, and paths to walk. They each have a contribution to make to you, and vice versa. Some people (even your family) are simply not equipped to be supportive of you for the path you are walking. But, the good news is the universe always puts people in your life to support you, you just don’t get to choose where that support comes from. Sometimes you have to go outside the ones you most love in order to find the love you need right now. Once you surrender to this and open up in readiness to receive that support, you will find new people naturally flow into your life (through synchronicity and coincidence – look for the signs!) who are the exact type of people you wanted and needed to “get you” and support you.
Never ask of someone more than they can give. Sometimes you have to realize people have a perspective and experience of life that is very different to your own (due to the way they have been raised and conditioned) which greatly influences how they love, support, and advise others. They only know what they know at that moment, and you may need something beyond their capacity to give you. Stop fighting this truth and love them just as they are, then turn your attention to your own path forward.
Your energy is best spent on fully and unapologetically expressing who you are (just as you are) without concern for whether people understand you or not, rather than expending your energy pleasing others. Why? Because when you do express yourself fully and without concern, you will literally magnetically attract the people who most align to your values and energy, and as a result, form a network of inspiring, supportive, and understanding people in your life. (NOTE: You have to shine your true self and fearless energy in order for those supportive people to see your light and navigate towards you. Think of yourself like a lighthouse!)
The people you need to be connected to (the ones you are here to serve/contribute to, and in turn the ones you are here to be supported/leveraged by) will “get you.” You must trust in this fact. They do exist. Trust there is a bigger picture and a flow to life that will love and unleash you.
Often you have to be willing to walk away from the people who don’t get you or support you, in order to make room in your life (energetically) for the people you need to show up. This is an exchange of energy and space.
Your job in life is never to convince/persuade anyone of your worth and value. Your worth and value are inherent. Nothing you do or say, or don’t do or say, or what anyone else says or believes is going to change that. So instead of convincing or persuading anyone of your worth, simply know your worth and live from it as a statement to the world. That statement is the most powerful thing. Let people make up their own mind when they witness you flying freely.
No one can see the real you if you are busy being fearful and stuck in negative energy, worrying about how to be understood, complaining about being misunderstood, and feeling unsupported and beat-up on by life. In that state, you invite criticism, as people see you wobbling and shaking and denying your own value, which opens you up to endless reams of unnecessary advice and opinions, when all you really needed was to believe in yourself!
Even if someone doesn’t understand you, that doesn’t mean they don’t respect you. You can observe people you really don’t “get” and yet, at the very same time, it is entirely possible to still see their beauty, individuality, and uniqueness, and gifts.
When someone in your life doesn’t “get you” and they are someone you love, value, and want to have in your life, take the time to help them understand you. People are not mind-readers; they will only know what they see, hear, and what you share. So take the time to share with them very authentically – what you are about, what you value, what is important to you, why you do what you do, what you believe in, and then let go… After sharing, you must let go of the need to have them understand, and rest easy in the knowledge you have done all you can do. If they still don’t get you or support you, then honor yourself and walk away.
You never have to apologize for who you are, to ANYONE. You may do things that aren’t ideal, you may make mistakes, and you may express yourself in less than optimal ways if your emotions get the better of you… that is called being human. You can apologize for things you have done, and make amends if you’ve caused someone pain, but NEVER apologize for the heart of who you are. There is a big difference.
Being crazy, weird, different, outrageous, a dreamer, a believer, a trailblazer, an outlier, an oddity… is to be celebrated. Notice when you crave being “normal” in order to fit in and gain acceptance. If you have to suffocate your soul (the real you) and adapt yourself into a societally accepted mold of “normal” in order to do so, then STOP. Walk away from anyone and anything that boxes you in and suppress your “non-normal-ness!” Start every day with open eyes looking for the people who reflect your own values and freedom of expression and spend your time with them. If you can’t see them in your own life currently, state you are ready to meet these types of people and then pay attention because they will show up. Perhaps you can’t see them yet because you’re so busy trying to be accepted by the people you don’t need in your life.
When it comes to making heart-led decisions to follow your own goals/dreams, you do not need to justify or explain those decision to ANYONE. You cannot evidence or prove with fact what you simply know in your gut to be right for you… it’s called intuition. Intuition is your best navigational tool and sometimes there is no explanation for where it leads you. It is your soul speaking to you; it guides you into your purpose in life. Intuition is just as valid as logic.
When authentically and courageously owning your purpose and doing what you know in your heart you are called to do; then, in the face of anyone who judges you; excludes you; or questions your logic, method, or motive with negativity… remember, they are simply projecting their own pain. They have nothing to add and no value to offer you. Their negative energy is a reflection of their own inner blocks and their own life lessons to learn. You need not be drawn into that vortex. It is not your job to fix them, to change their minds, to help them, or to be a victim of their barrage. Draw boundaries, cut ties, move on, and you will always flow into the path of people who “get you” when you finally have the courage to remove those who don’t.
When following your dreams, there will be people in your support network who give you advice and offer help. They will do so out of their love for you. Some of it will be invaluable. Some of it will be completely misguided and have the power to sabotage you. It most likely will come from the people who might “get you” personally but don’t get what you are doing or why you are doing it. They may not understand you are led by your inner voice. They will want to protect you from yourself, from making mistakes, and from suffering unnecessary “failure” (their own scenario planning of all the “what ifs” that could occur as you step out bravely in your life). Their love for you is what lies behind this advice, but what also lies behind this is their own fear. Fear has a way of taking over people. You can witness it and be loving, and then continue walking your path forward irrespective.
Don’t try to change people. It is each individual person’s decision and responsibility as to whether they evolve, whether they show love and compassion, whether they listen and support. You cannot force that upon people. You can share your insights without attachment to what the outcome will be when they hear you. You can offer to support them, without judgement. But each person must come to their own awakening in their own time.
The way you can best be of service to yourself, the world, and those who don’t understand you is simply carry on your path with your head held high, not wavering in the face of challenges, opposition, questions, and pain. Be a conqueror. Be a pioneer. Be a leader of your own life. Whoever comes with you on that journey is meant to. Whoever does not, was not.
The primary reason you want people to understand you is because you want reassurance who you are is okay, what you want to do is the “right” thing, and you want people to trumpet their support around you to make you feel more secure and sure on your path. You many want this, and most people do. But do not mistake want for need. You do NOT need that. You can forge a path of truth, passion, purpose, creativity, abundance, and excitement, and achieve your greatest potential, and not have one single person supporting you while you do so! It does not matter. What matters is you did what you were put on this planet to do.
When you feel lonely, and you wish you were understood and had people around you to wrap you in love, remember this. There is a transition period that occurs when you step up to live as the real you, creating change and making new things happen. In that transition period, you step beyond the stories and limitations you once lived within; you step beyond the illusion of who you thought you were and what you thought was important, and instead become more of who you really are underneath. Often when this happens, you start to notice the people you spent most of your time with before suddenly do not resonate with you or you do not resonate with them. As you transition, you will flow into new people who resonate with you and you will form new networks more aligned to your purpose and your values. It does NOT mean new connections replace your existing network. It means your network grows. You enrich your life with more love and more people. You will have those who knew you before who do not get the “new you.” You will have those who have known you always and stayed with you on your path (embracing you in all stages of your evolution). And, you will have those who you meet on the other side of your transformation and transition. The more the merrier!
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS, PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS POINT. When you realize people in your network don’t get you and don’t support you, there is a moment where you are faced with two options. Your courageous heart and your “soul reason” for being alive would choose one option, while your fear and need for acceptance and belonging would choose the other. (A) You play small. You stay quiet. You silence your voice. You ignore your knowing. You avoid standing out. You toe the line. You align your life to keep the peace. You make other people’s expectations the guiding force of your life. You do what it takes not to “rock the boat.” You cling to the desire to be liked and supported. You forgo your own needs. Or (B) You play a big game and walk life in total alignment with your own inner voice and values. You say what you believe. You lovingly express what you know to be true for you. You realize staying small would suffocate your soul and keep you from succeeding in life. You realize the price you pay for standing out and no longer “fitting” in is a small price to pay in order for you to live the life you were put here to live. You have this ONE life, and it is fleeting in the scheme of all of eternity… so what are you going to do with it? Please, please, please – play the big game. The world needs people just like you to stand up and choose option B.
Don’t let anyone be a handbrake to your inner peace, freedom, and success. EVER. Give people the chance to evolve with you. If you love them dearly, give them plenty of room to grow and give them multiple opportunities to know the real you and to make choices about what that means for them. But, over the long-term and with the bigger picture view, do no let them chain you to old ways of being and old habits of doing. Life is too short to be in shackles. Trust your intuition; you will know when it is time to release the handbrake.
Your thriving and success, when executed from absolute authenticity, integrity, and completely aligned to your intuition, is NEVER of disservice to anyone. The notion that you doing what is best for your mind/body/soul is somehow selfish or in any way the “wrong” thing for someone else, is downright BS. Do not be upset if you have bought into that illusion in the past. Simply know, you have greater awareness now.
Never second guess yourself; stay anchored in what you know is real. Write it down and come back to it whenever you feel wobbly. By all means, take valuable advice, feedback, and input from others (the ones you value), and use it to improve your knowledge, uncover your own wisdom, unlock new perspectives for yourself, and adjust your course accordingly. But, notice that is different from taking on negativity and fear from others and suffering blockages in your success as a result.
Everyone will have an opinion, and many people will try to force you to live in alignment with their opinions. Opinions are aligned to beliefs. Everyone believes different things. You will never satisfy everyone, nor align to everyone’s beliefs, their view of the world, or who they “think you should be.” You were not born to meet the expectations of others. You were born to meet your soul’s purpose, and that is all.
If you do that confidently, the naysayers and fear mongers will dissolve away because they will no longer align to your energy. And who/what shows up will be DIRECTLY in alignment with your energy.
Take the emotional pain of not being understood and use it as fuel for your mission to live in alignment with your truth and to create the goals/dreams that are most meaningful to you. Show yourself you can do it, no matter what any one else says. Add the pain to your sense of purpose, and let that combined energy catapult you forward.
Do not be afraid to own your power. You have the heart and courage of a lion, you may simply not be used to using it.
There is only one voice to truly listen to – that voice lies within you. Everything else is noise.

This article was written by Bernadette Logue, Transformation Life Coach, author, and leader of The Daily Positive. You can follow Bernadette at The Daily Positive on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to  subscribe  to our free email newsletter for our best stories.