When I Chose My Dream Over a Friend
Have you ever had a friend who didn’t believe in you? I have. And it hurt more than I thought it would.
Growing up, I always had a deep love for storytelling. I loved writing short stories, journaling my thoughts, and imagining worlds in my head that didn’t exist. But what really sparked something inside me was when I discovered filmmaking. I wanted to become a filmmaker, a female director from Africa, telling stories that would touch lives, bring change, and shine a light on voices that are often ignored.
It sounded like a wild dream to many people. But I was ready to fight for it
I had a friend, her name is Sarah. We had been friends for years. We shared everything, laughed together, cried together, and supported each other through many seasons. At least that’s what I thought until I opened up to her about my dream.
One evening, I told her how I wanted to start small, maybe by making short films on YouTube, working with local talents, and learning how to tell powerful stories through visuals. I was so excited, expecting her to say something like “Wow, go for it!” or “That’s amazing, how can I help?”
But instead, she laughed
At first, I thought she was joking. But then she said, “Filmmaking? In this country? You better find something realistic to do. You’ll waste your time chasing shadows.”
Her words cut deep. I tried to explain how passionate I was, how I’d been reading, watching documentaries, learning editing skills on my phone, and saving for a small camera. But she didn’t see it. She kept saying I was being foolish, that dreams like that don’t work in this part of the world, especially for girls like us.
From that day, something changed in our friendship. I realized she didn’t believe in me. And what’s worse, she wasn’t even willing to try. She kept planting doubts in my heart, laughing at my small progress, and telling others that I was wasting my life.
I had to make a tough decision.
I ended the friendship not with shouting or bitterness, but with silence and distance. I stopped calling. I stopped trying. I allowed time and space to do the work. Because honestly, I couldn’t keep someone that close who didn’t believe in my vision.
Was it painful? Yes. There were moments I missed her. We had shared so many memories. But when I look back now, I have no regrets. In fact, I’m grateful I walked away.
Sometimes, we hold on to people just because of history, forgetting that not everyone is meant to go with us into our future. Some people are only comfortable with the version of us they’ve known for years, but when we start to grow, to dream bigger, they become uncomfortable. And that’s okay. But we must choose ourselves.
Today, I’ve made my first short film. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine. And I’m proud of it. I’ve found new friends who support me, push me, and even volunteer to act in my videos for free. I’ve learned that the right people will find you when you stay true to your calling.
So no, I don’t regret ending that friendship. I did what I had to do to protect my dream, my peace, and my future
Images are Ai generated
Yah that was necessary for the health of your vision, you did the right thing ending that friendship
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Listen let your mind be strong on what you hold dear to heart, don't let even your own self doubt for a second pursue your vision like your life depends on it and surely with God you will see it manifest... that is your value
Yeah! Thanks for the motivation and advice
You're sure welcome
You did the right thing dear, my lecturer would say twenty friends cannot be twenty friends for twenty years.
Yeah! That's just the truth.any friend that doesn't support my dream, then doesn't worth my friendship. Thanks for stopping by
You’re welcome.
I'm so sorry to hear this but thank God you didn't allow that deter you instead you picked up yourself and you're doing great.
It may not be perfect or top notch but it's yours
That was very wrong of her to have see less of your precious dreams. The deal is, as far as you are able to see and feel it, you can do it, if you chase it.
It is just simple as that, honestly, i understand how that makes you feels, maybe, you proved her wrong, by paying her a visit when you make it.
That will make her not to discourage people’s dreams anymore. Success.
It hurts when people we thought would cheer us on turned out to be someone who would laugh at us for daring to dream.
I applaud you for cutting ties with such person.
Well, in my own opinion, I don't think she must believe in your vision, she is not seeing what you are seeing, and that is not a bad thing...
If she was a good friend to you and the only problem you guys had was the filmmaking stuff, you could have just kept that to yourself and not shared any details regarding that with her anymore and still kept the friendship, especially if she was good to you in other areas.
Sometimes we have to stay far from people that don't believe in our dreams not necessarily because they are bad people but because we want to go far in life, if we stay close to them, they will keep planting seed of doubt in our hearts.
Yeah, not everyone is allowed to journey with us in life as they can be toxic to our journey in life. Thanks for sharing.