Unfortunately, the world is filled with far too many unfinished projects, unrealized goals, broken dreams, half written books, untapped potential and wounded hearts pierced by the words of a naysayer.
I know this well because early on I thought of starting my business and asked a person whom I respected very much and was also in a business. He told me that it was not my cup of tea as I had no experience of the problems faced in business, that I would never make it and should do something else. He was actually right about one thing. I had no experience. But he didn’t share my vision for the future. He didn’t know how hard I would work to improve and grow. He couldn’t see the plan God had for me. The naysayer was focused on what I was, not what I was becoming. Thankfully I didn’t let the naysayer stop me and hopefully you won’t let naysayers stop you.
In this spirit I want to share 10 Ways to Deal with Naysayers to help you create your future.
1. Ignore them – Simply ignore what they say. Of course, you want to receive feedback that will make you better but you want to ignore people and words that seek to derail you from your goal.
2. Hear them and know their words have no power over you – This is what I did with the man who said I would never make it. I heard the words but knew they had no power over me. The power inside you is much greater than the words of a naysayer.
3. Remember Gandhi’s advice “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” – Have faith in the power inside you to overcome the negativity in the world . Don’t allow the opinion of others define you or your destiny.
4. Remind yourself that history doesn’t remember the critic. History remembers the one who withstood criticism to accomplish something great. – In order to achieve your goal you will have to overcome negativity, adversity and naysayers. While the naysayer says words few will remember, you will leave a legacy many won’t forget.
5. Your faith and belief must be greater than all the negativity and doubt – Your positivity must be greater than all the negativity. It may sound cliché but you must stay positive each day as you work to improve and create your future.
6. Don’t let anyone walk through your mind with their DIRTY TWEET – This is a great spin on the Gandhi quote because with social media you will have more fans and critics than ever. Don’t let praise go to your head or let critics in your head.
7. Decide to work harder and get better. – We can allow negative comments to weaken us or fuel us. Don’t try to prove people wrong. But keep working hard to become the best you can be. So consider each negative comment as a nudge to work harder and get better. You can’t control what people say but you can control the actions you take to improve .
8. Eject the naysayer from your life (if you can) . Generally naysayers serve as a shroud over life’s possibilities, so spending too much time with them is only going to limit your own potential.
9. Evaluate the naysayers ‘s background. One thing I look at before I consider anyone ‘s words is how the person is doing in his/her own life. Is this person’s life the kind of life I want to have for myself? Does this person has knowledge and expertise in what he/she is commenting on ? If the answer is No , then I will discount what he/she says.
10. Ignore them — Tune out . If you have evaluated the words of naysayers and concluded that these are not relevant to your goals , then simply tune out. Just because they something, does not mean you have to take what they say .
Your goals are too precious to let other people taint them. Protect them. Don’t give naysayers the opportunity to damage your dreams by not even raising the topic in the first place.
Your goals are too precious to let other people taint them. Protect them. Don’t give naysayers the opportunity to damage your dreams by not even raising the topic in the first place.