A few weeks ago, as we left the grocery store I decided to ride the cart.

Why?

Because awesome.

As I was riding on it, my feet on the bottom, my hands holding the railing, I heard my 10 year old yell something from behind me. Here is what she said:

“Daddy, stop doing that! You’re making us jealous!”

I thought that was interesting. She didn’t yell, “Daddy, be careful!” She didn’t yell, “Daddy, that’s against the rules!” She yelled, “You’re making us jealous!”

And there lies a simple truth.

Some times, people who hate on your dream aren’t really mad about the dream. They’re mad because you’re making them jealous. They want to be the one feeling the wind in their hair as they ride through a parking lot. They want to be the one seeing their book on a shelf in a real live bookstore. They want to be the one giving that speech or opening that business.

But for whatever reason, they aren’t and they have too much self awareness to yell the truth like a 10 year old.

Next time you get hated on, remember what a lot of them are really saying.

“Stop chasing your dream, you’re making us jealous!”