Picture yourself standing in the middle of a crowded stadium. You’re in the heat of competition in front of 100,000 screaming fans, and at least half of them aren’t cheering for you. Some of that 50 percent even hate you. They don’t just hate you, they are letting you know why and precisely how much they despise you. Maybe even with disgusting comments about your family.
You actually enter into your own personal version of that stadium every day in the sport of business. They’re called haters, and you probably don’t have enough of them. That’s right, you read that correctly. I am suggesting you need more haters. Why? Because there’s a direct correlation between the amount of success you enjoy and the number of haters you have.
Many experts will tell you that if you want to achieve greatness, you have to be willing to be hated. I spin it a little differently. You should love the hate, because that means you’re on the right track. There’s a big difference between willingness and love. Every top achiever has their critics… heck, just look at Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Haters are people who think they know the route to success, but they never actually get in the plane to fly themselves there.
This all reinforces the fact that we need haters in our businesses, but we cannot get caught up on what critics say about our work. There’s value in haters — even in the one-star Amazon reviewers as it turns out, because they are an authentic reflection of our cultural norms. That’s right, take solace in the fact that haters are the norm.
I believe the hater hates because criticism is self-hate turned outward. I believe hate is often a sign of weakness, envy and fear. Haters hate on you because you’re doing what they cannot, will not or are too afraid to attempt.
Haters are a natural part of the growth of your business. When you’re new there will be critics, when you’re good there will be haters, and when you’re excellent they will turn into admirers. The question is: Are you willing to be attacked and criticized as a person to grow your brand?
There is one way to avoid having haters. Sit on the sidelines, do nothing, don’t set goals, be average and no one will judge or hate you.
Criticism and hate are the price you pay for taking your business to the big time. So don’t let the sound of your haters overwhelm you, you only give them power if you listen to what they say. Ignore the noise and use your haters as fuel for the fire. They hate you because you’re on to something and are doing big things. In a way they are one of the greatest forms of feedback you can get.
Remember: They can doubt you, they can fight you — but they never stop you. Feel free to comment below, share a mean tweet or email me to tell me my writing stinks.
If you hate this little blog post, well… thanks.
TERRY Talks 