Have you ever gotten excited about achieving and doing something, only to be discouraged by the people you thought will support you? The thing is, something like this happens all the time.
You may have decided to train for upcoming marathons, only to be reminded by someone that you have previously quit on many things you’ve started or they tell you that you don’t have an athletic build.
Maybe you badly wanted to start a business and become an entrepreneur, and someone will tell you that most businesses fail and you are better off not starting anything at all. Your friends may add that you shouldn’t bother wasting your time and resources since you don’t have experience as an entrepreneur anyway.
Critics are a part of life, and there are a lot of them out there. The more things that you try to accomplish, the more people around you will try to discourage or stop you in more ways than you can count.
You can try these tips on how you can overcome critics and live your life in the best way possible:
- You need to understand the real reason why they are criticizing. When you try to do and be more of who you are, it will make others uncomfortable. After all, they are used to seeing you in a certain way. It can bother them too much if you achieve more success while they are afraid of change themselves. Another thing is that after all, no one will be able to justify why they have settled for mediocrity so it’s a little unsettling for them to see you rise above the crowd.
- Don’t react. Some people feel rewarded in trying to hold you back if you get upset or quit. What you can do is to stick to your plans and avoid responding to them emotionally. Don’t respond, ignore them, and keep going.
- Keep your bigger plans to yourself. You might hear success gurus recommending you to announce your plans to the world so that you will become more accountable in achieving them. However, studies show that this process hurts more than it will help you.
- When you tell the whole world what you want to accomplish, expect that critics will appear left and right and out of the woodwork to get you.
- Avoid dwelling too much on the critic given. You don’t have a reason to sit and stew on the criticism that they said to you. You need to let it go and focus your attention on something more useful and enjoyable.
- You need to consider the people who are criticizing you. Considering the source is essential. If Stephen King is the one saying a lot of things about your newly published horror novel, then it’s wise for you to take in everything he says. However, if your plumber Uncle Joe is the one criticizing your dreams about becoming an architect, why will you listen to him in the first place?
- You need to find someone who has the right to “criticize” you. You need to find the right critics. And these people are also called mentors by others. You need to find experts in your field who are willing to check what you are doing and provide you with useful advice. The right mentors will be able to speed up your journey to success, and they can also save you time.
- Be even more focused in achieving your goals. You can use criticism as something that will push you to work and focus harder. You can start showing everyone what you can do, and expect to get the last laugh in the end.
- Find acquaintances and close friends that will genuinely support you. Most people think that the more friends they have, the more successful they can become. But this is not true as what you need is just a couple of real friends that are genuinely happy with your success, and they should want the best for your life.
- American singer Bette Midler won the Golden Globe, Emmys, Grammys, and many other awards. She said that one of the most challenging parts in the winning process is to find someone who is truly happy for her successes.
- Cut communication with the critics in your life. If you have a lot of things that you want to achieve in life, then there’s no room for those people who are trying to get in your way. You might be hesitant to cut off the communication between you and your critical mom, but there’s no reason why you should continue holding on to your cynical friend that you have never seen since high school.
- Quickly change the subject. What you can do is get the critics to talk more about what’s going on in their lives. This way, they will soon forget about yours since they will be more focused on talking about their lives.
If you have big goals and plans that you want to happen in life, you will have to deal with critics in some way or another.
Most people choose comfort over growing, but deep inside, they are frustrated about the quality of their lives because of their choices. Your choice to have a more meaningful and happier life can be an uncomfortable reminder to the critics that they have decided to settle. Avoid letting them derail your dreams with their issues.
You should always follow your dreams and aim to live the life that you always desired!
