Why Other People’s Opinions Don’t Matter

There are people you should genuinely care what they think. Like your kids or your nearest and dearest, but beyond that ask yourself how much those people really matter to you. There’s a whole load of people in the big wide Internet world that will love to give you their (negative) opinion. But chances are, their opinion is absolutely nothing to do with you and more about something within them that they feel the need to project on to you. For some people sharing their negativity is satisfying a need within them. They don’t like to see others achieving things that they can’t so they have to sprinkle their negativity all over it. I had someone tell me about an opportunity they didn’t have many years ago. They had accepted that they couldn’t achieve something, which actually if they’d applied themselves they probably could have. So when that same opportunity presented itself to me and I told them about it, they couldn’t wait to rain on my parade and tell me all about the opportunities they never had. They had to turn my positive opportunity into a negative that was all about them. What I wanted didn’t matter to them so long as they could make it all about them. When someone behaves like this it’s a very selfish action. If that person genuinely wanted you to achieve your goals and live your best life then they would be positive towards whatever it is you are doing. It wouldn’t be about them. 

Often we are confronted with ‘constructive criticism’ from people who haven’t constructed a thing in their lives. Always examine the source of the negative opinion you’re being hit with. If it’s coming from someone with zero credibility, haven’t built a business, haven’t achieved anything in their lives, then dismiss it. Don’t take their negativity onboard. Ignore it. If the negativity you are receiving is coming from credible sources and it’s because you’ve done something wrong, then address, fix it and then move on from it. Don’t dwell on it. 

It is entirely up to you how you deal with other people’s opinions. It is your choice to ignore it or be offended by it. Nobody can hurt you with it unless you allow them to. But don’t avoid doing things because you’re afraid of what other people think. Chances are the people you are worried about aren’t actually that bothered at all by what you do. And if they are bothered then they really don’t matter that much and it says more about them than you. Don’t let the haters hinder you. Instead, use their comments to fuel you on to great things. Use it to help you achieve your goals and achieve the things they never will and lead the best life possible.