Stop Explaining Your Dream to the Wrong People

You can quit playing defense today. Upgrade your circle — starting now.

Extremely toxic people are easy to spot. You can usually block them quick and move on…

I had a couple of angry little trolls on the Substack app yesterday.

Nasty little men with stubby fingers, bad tempers, and something clearly missing in their lives.

(P.S. If you missed it, in yesterday’s post I shared my 5-point plan for dealing with online trolls. It's already helped hundreds — might be just the fire you need today.)

But here’s the thing: Those vile trolls aren’t my real enemies. They don’t get close enough to actually hurt me.

The people who do get close enough?

They’re not cruel.
They don’t yell or spit or send hate mail.
They’re just… average. Unenthusiastic. Quietly unsupportive.

They don’t hate you, they just don’t lift you either. And I’m starting to think those are the ones who are most dangerous to our dreams.

You’ve heard it before:

“You rise to the level of your friends.”
“Good is the enemy of great.”

I think average friendships are the true restraint on the life of anyone with a big vision. My oldest brother told me once, when I was a 16-year-old delinquent:

“Geoff, if you want to change your life… you gotta change your friends.”

That one stuck.

So I’ll say it to you now: If you want a life that burns, that exceeds your expectations, that actually reaches your goals — then who surrounds you matters more than almost anything.

Think of yourself as a fire. A bonfire. A dream that wants to blaze with passion and power. A person who wants to live a life that truly matters.

Now ask: Are there people around you kicking snow on that fire?

Are they saying things like:

“Why so intense?”
“Relax a bit.”
“Maybe take it easy for a while?”

Are they taking the heat out of your goals? If this resonates, hit share.

There’s someone in your circle who needs to read this before they allow their own fire to be dimmed again.

👇 Keep reading if you’re ready to turn up the heat.

---

Paid supporters get:

• The 3 signs someone’s a snow-kicker

• The 3-part Circle Audit to clarify who belongs near your fire

• And a personal invite to this week’s private Sphere Builder workshop:
  “Drawing Closer — Building a Co-Creator Circle That Burns Bright”