I used to care what everyone thought. I wanted to be liked. I wanted to impress. But years of building the Reciprocity Project—putting in the work when no one believed in it—taught me something deeper.

People say a lot. But if you watch their eyes, their body, the tension in their face—you’ll see the truth. Most of it is just cheap talk.

So I stopped listening to the noise and started believing in myself. Not because it was easy. Not because I had it all figured out. But because no one else was going to do it for me.

If you don’t feel that warm, real, supportive energy around you—walk away. Do your thing anyway. You’ll be surprised how far you can go when you stop trying to convince people and start taking steps forward.