Haters Gonna Hate
You only get haters when you’re leveling up; when haters start popping up, consider yourself on the road to success!
I know that’s a different perspective, but it’s the truth. Nothing tests you better than success. As you become more successful and/or more influential, the haters come out of the woodwork.
Simply put, when you reach new levels, you get new devils.
When I became CEO of Roma, people had a lot of opinions and let me tell you, not all of them were kind or supportive. Opposition can be very healthy and often even a gift, but opposing opinions and viewpoints are not necessarily haters. Haters are brutal. They are jealous, ambitious, rude, and majorly opinionated. Unfortunately, when you’re in the headwind, those sharp jabs and contrary opinions cut you that much deeper.
The good news is, that’s okay and often par for the course. The secret for you lies in how you choose to respond. The best way to deal with haters is to dig down and find empathy for them.
I feel pity for them. Hate is a huge weakness. People who hate are often weak, alone, and desperate for attention. People have many motivations; hate is frequently begat of bitterness, anger, and regret.
It can only be described as “sad”! Sad that a person would take the time to hate on something you’re doing when, chances are, they are not taking action to better their own lives. Instead, they are letting themselves be dragged down by bitterness and hate.
If they aren’t taking action to better their own lives, they don’t get to weigh in on yours.
“Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”
– Mark Twain
I personally do my best to understand where they are coming from but often, the best medicine is silence. I choose to shift my energy from defense to offense and move on to something far better and much more productive.
Haters are going to hate – You can’t control that, and you can’t stop it. You have no power over what people think and do… But you have ALL the power in choosing how you react to them.
Focus on the things that lift you up; don’t give attention to the negative things and people who want to spread hate. Nothing good comes from hate. Compassion, empathy, gratitude, and love is the way!