Nine Strategies to Deal with the Critics In Your Life

Whether you’re fighting for peace, losing 20 pounds, writing a book, or ace a video game, someone in your life will try to drag you down.

There’s no way to live your best life without critics, doubters, and haters. They’re a part of being human. However, it’s your job not to let them hold you back.

Here’s how to deal with critics in your life:

Discover why you’re here.

When you’re doing something meaningful to you, you don’t care about others’ criticism. If they can easily sway you, maybe you should try something else. Are you fulfilling your goals? If not, figure out what they are and what you need to do to fulfill them.

Find out why most people don’t support you.

Critics are usually just trying to annoy you. It’s fun for them to make you mad. People will also hate you when you find success. Nobody wants to be left behind or face their own mediocrity.

Finding out why people don’t support you can be eye-opening, though. It can give you the motivation you need to achieve your goal. If someone tells you they don’t support you because you’ve never done the goal you’re attempting or the opposite, you’ve attempted the goal in the past and not stuck with it, that might be all the motivation you need to stick with your goal this time.

Few people will support you if you’re chasing big dreams. Find people who support you and spend more time with them.

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Don’t let criticism get you down. Be committed and persistent. If you do this, the more critics you get, the more you’ll accomplish. Criticism distracts most people. Don’t be one of them.

When you’re pursuing your goals, thinking about the end result is great motivation. It can keep you going when you want to give in to the haters. One great strategy is to keep a visual representation of your goal in front of you. That could be a picture of what you’ll look like at your goal weight, a picture of the place you want to go on vacation, or something else that will remind you of the goal you’re pursuing.

Keep in mind that haters are a tiny fraction of the crowd.

Numerous studies have shown that negative feedback sticks out more than positive feedback. In addition, negative comments can be especially damaging at times when we’re especially impressionable or vulnerable, such as after we’ve lost a loved one.

No matter when you receive negative comments, it’s good to remember that it could be connected to the person that’s making it rather than the recipient. In other words, someone may be making a negative comment because they feel insecure about something in their lives.

Overall, there’s less opposition than we think. Most people don’t care about you and your life.

Realize that people will criticize you regardless.

You’ll hear someone say you’re doing the wrong thing no matter what you do. Since you will get negative feedback no matter what, do what’s most meaningful to you and ignore the haters.

Respond politely.

Don’t respond emotionally to your critics. Respond kindly, and they’ll probably be nicer. If you don’t talk to them, they’ll get angry or bored.

Let your critics motivate you.

While the haters intimidate and defeat some people, others can use negative criticism as motivation. Use your critics’ criticism to fuel your success.

You do this by building up your confidence. If you’re trying to achieve a specific goal, start by saying “I can” or, better yet, “I will” followed by your desired goal.

For example, “I will lose 20 pounds.”

Keep repeating this to yourself during the day, and you’ll start to believe it. When your critics see your progress, they won’t criticize you anymore.

Consider what they have to say.

There’s nothing wrong with some criticism. If you get specific criticism, think about whether it’s true. If necessary, adjust your approach. If the criticism doesn’t help, let it go. There are better things to do.

Consider criticism a gift.

In most cases, people will leave you alone if you’re struggling. You’ll only receive many negative remarks when things are going well. If you’re taking a lot of criticism, you’re doing something right!

Don’t let the haters ruin your plans. That’s their goal! You don’t have to get anyone’s approval.

If you’re doing things you care about, you won’t care about the criticism you get. Remember, when you’re receiving criticism, you’re probably doing well.