They Criticize What They Don’t Understand

I’ve learned something important on this journey: people who are ahead of you rarely stop to criticize. They’re too busy becoming. Too committed to their purpose. Too focused on their next step to spend time mocking yours.

When you begin choosing growth whether in your mindset, finances, health, or circle it disrupts people who are still sitting in comfort. Suddenly your small steps become a mirror. And people don’t always like what they see when their own stagnation is reflected back at them.

I’ve seen it over and over again.

You decide to start saving money and someone mocks you for being stingy.
You start watching what you eat and someone calls it “doing too much.”
You step away from gossip-driven conversations, and they say you’ve changed.

Of course you have. That’s the point.

It’s usually the people who are stuck that try to pull you back. Not because they’re evil, but because your growth reminds them that they’ve stayed in one place for too long. It makes them uncomfortable, and instead of changing, they critique.

They talk the loudest because they have the least going on.

When I started setting boundaries around my time and energy, I noticed the shift. People I once tried to impress didn’t understand why I no longer showed up everywhere. Why I turned down certain jobs. Why I refused to work with just anyone for the sake of money.

To them, it looked like pride. But it wasn’t pride it was clarity.

I had reached a point where I knew what I wanted and what I didn’t. I wasn’t trying to be available. I was trying to be effective. And for that, I needed alignment. Not applause.

Growth will cost you comfort. It will challenge your relationships. It will stretch your habits. And it will test your ability to stay the course when people misunderstand your discipline.

But hear this: you don’t owe comfort to those who benefit from your confusion. You don’t owe silence to people who can’t handle your boundaries. And you don’t owe access to anyone who makes your growth feel like betrayal.

Real growth is quiet. It’s not glamorous or viral. Sometimes it looks like skipping outings to save money. Sometimes it looks like waking up early when no one else sees you. Sometimes it looks like walking away from circles where your name is known, to step into rooms where your future can grow.

I used to get discouraged when people didn’t understand. I wanted to explain myself. To defend my choices. But I’ve learned that the more energy you spend trying to explain your growth to those who aren’t growing, the more distracted you become from your process.

So now I let my consistency speak for me.

I focus on what I’m building, not who’s criticizing. I’ve come to understand that my vision wasn’t given to a committee. It was entrusted to me. And not everyone will have the capacity to understand it. That’s okay.

You were not called to stay where they left you. You were not designed to fit into every room or be accepted by every voice. Growth means you’ll outgrow spaces. And you don’t need to shrink to stay welcome.

If you’re in a season of pruning, cutting back, leaning in, saying no, saying less don’t question it. If you feel resistance, don’t panic. It’s part of the process. Sometimes silence around you is a sign that something within you is getting louder.

Keep showing up. Keep making the hard but healthy choices. Keep becoming the version of you that feels aligned, not just accepted.

The people who matter won’t mock your growth. They’ll recognize it. They’ll cheer for it. And when the results start to show, those who once judged will fall silent not because you proved them wrong, but because your life became too loud with purpose to ignore.

Stay focused. You’re not behind. You’re just building with intention.

If this message spoke to you, there’s more where it came from. Click here to read: Why Consistency Wins in the Long Run. Let’s keep growing together! one real post at a time.