It was the release date of my first novel, and I was buzzing with excitement—like a kid who just discovered Wi-Fi after years of dial-up. Unfortunately, not all my friends shared the joy.
One, in particular, took it upon himself to play the role of Dream Crusher Extraordinaire. On our way home, he looked at me like I’d just announced I was moving to Mars and said:
Friend: “Do you know how many authors there are in the world? How many books get published every year?”
Me (sarcastic, of course): “Why do I feel like you’re threatening me right now?”
He smirked. “You’re just a little boat in a big ocean.”
Wow. Einstein, stop right there.
I didn’t argue much because here’s the thing: people who don’t even read your work will happily predict your failure. It’s easier to judge than to support. But inside, I was laughing. If I’m a little boat, then at least I’m sailing—while he’s still standing on the shore, Googling “what is a metaphor.”
🎭 The Cameron Diaz Metaphor (Yes, This Happened)
He doubled down on his philosophy:
“If I want to marry Cameron Diaz, can I? No. Because I’m a small boat and she’s the ocean.”
My reply? “Did you even try?”
Silence. Checkmate.
To poke him further, I added, “People called Einstein stupid once too. But here’s the thing about little boats—they can still make waves. You never trust a small boat to sail in a big ocean, but that doesn’t mean it can’t.”
He snapped back, “It would be crushed in pieces.”
“How do you know? Have you tried it?”
At this point, he got desperate enough to explain metaphors to me (ouch), which only made me laugh harder.
🎬 Real Life Is Stranger (and Better) Than Movies
When I explained that every entrepreneur, every king, every so-called “giant” once started small, he rolled his eyes:
“That sounds good in movies, not in real life.”
Excuse me? Has this man ever seen an inspirational movie? They are based on real people. Try telling Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling, or Oprah that their lives were “just like the movies.”
🛠️ Well-Wishers Who Don’t Wish You Well
Finally, he pulled the classic “I’m just saying this so you don’t get hurt when you fail.”
Ah yes, the dreaded Well-Wisher Who Doesn’t Wish You Well.
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At work, it was my manager who didn’t want to pay me my salary but swore it was “for my own good.”
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In friendship, it was this guy who thought I couldn’t handle rejection.
Let me clarify: I wrote a whole book. Do you think I can’t handle failure? Please. Failure is part of the syllabus when you sign up for dreams.
(Side note: my first book wasn’t a commercial success, but some readers called it one of the best thrillers they’d read. Failure? Not really. More like Chapter One in a bigger story.)
🎵 And Then I Sang
By the end, I was so done with his boat metaphors that I decided to annoy him with Rachel Platten’s Fight Song.
“Like a small boat in the ocean, sending big waves into motion…” 🎶
And yes, it pissed him off. Did it feel good? Absolutely. Sometimes, you don’t win the argument—you just sing it.
🌊 The Takeaway
Here’s what I learned:
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People will tell you you’re too small, too late, too ordinary.
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Most of them haven’t even read your work.
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Their “advice” says more about their limits than your potential.
So go ahead—be the small boat. Make waves. Annoy a few dream-killers along the way. And when they doubt you, sing louder.
Because little boats? They don’t just float. They move oceans.
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