As an author, I am always thinking about ways I can add value to my audience. It’s easy to point the finger when you don’t see people being as supportive as you think they should be, but I am the person who will always look at me first. In doing this, I have thought about what support means, not from an author/entrepreneur perspective, but from the perspective of the reader/audience member. Why? Because I was a reader before I was a writer.
This has led me to think about the importance of authentic support.
I think authenticity is important even when supporting others. No one can be bullied, into supporting. It has to be in them to do it. It has to be part of who they are. People have to be passionate about whatever it is they are supporting.
Authentic – true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character
It was easy to get upset with people for not being supportive until I realized the truth: People support what is true to their personality, spirit, or character. It doesn’t matter if we are of the same family, organization, or group. People will support what is in alignment with who they are. It has to speak to them.
There must be some connection or commonality between the supporter and the movement, some kind of bridge connecting the two that makes the support worth it. When I think of it this way, I am more at ease with those who don’t support me because I realize it’s not personal. If the support is to be genuine, the person must first feel some kind of connection to whatever it is they are supporting.
I can’t speak for others, but I know that in my experience in the Indie Author community there is a lot of talk about being supportive but the thing is, people, don’t support just for the sake of supporting. I know we would like to think of it this way but that’s not the truth. If I am being real with myself and looking at this from the reader/audience/observer’s perspective then I have to admit that we support what we believe in. If what is being offered isn’t in agreement with that belief, we will probably be less supportive.
I learned that if I am being my authentic self, then I will attract authentic support.
The PBS Blog 
The simplest way to gain support is to give support.
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In my experience, that works sometimes but not all the time. There is no guarantee that you will get support just because you give it. People should give support genuinely without expecting anything in return. Just do good because you are a good person. Do it out of the kindness of your heart and let the chips fall where they may.
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Agreed. It’s all about alignment.
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Precisely.
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It took me a month to get over the face that my family and best friends were not supportive of my blog in the way I was expecting. You’re right that it isn’t about them or what we expect from them… still sucks though!
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Yes, it sucks. But remember, your family and friends are not part of your targeted audience, or the group of people you are trying to reach with your message who will buy your books or products. Family and friends are great for some things and will be supportive to an extent, but the truth is that it is the strangers you meet who share your interests and vision who will support you the most. Those are the people you want to target. Although it would be nice, I never really expected my family to read my blog posts.
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Wow you really just changed my perspective. That is very true!
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👍🏾 You got it
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