Dealing with Hate and Naysayers
IMAGE COURTESY OF SHANNAH BURDEN
by Shannah Burden
“Haters: they are a clear sign that you must be doing something right, even when you’re doing somethings wrong.”
Let me elaborate on my quote. When I made this quote I had an Aha moment back in 2013.
We are not perfect, this means that even in our success, we are not going to get everything right. But even though we don't get everything right we still are going to have some admirers.
You see ... here's the thing. There is a difference between someone who has an honest perspective of you and reasons/things about you that they don't like. That's not a hater. A hater isn't someone who honestly doesn't like your personality and don't think you're relevant. That's a person who's just being honest in how they feel.
Even I don't think everyone is relevant to my life and growth.
But a hater is someone who chooses to harp on all of your flaws all the time and wants to have round table discussions with others about why they don't like you and wants people around them that agree. They want to feel like they have people in their corner. It makes them feel like their not crazy because people feel just like how they feel. They have their own little clique...and that makes them secure.
Listen, there are going to be people who don't like me and you. That's life, there's no way around it.
There are plenty of people I don't like because of things they said that I've found to be offensive. But I'm not a hater, I'm not a hater because I choose NOT to discuss these things just to make the other person involved look bad and I could have people in my corner.
I am a hater when all I want to do is bring up and discuss the bad and dig up dirt. I am a hater when I choose to expose other people's weaknesses in hopes of making myself look and feel a lot better about myself. I am a hater when I simply just choose to be mean and poke fun ... just for the hell of it.
There are male and female haters. There are family haters, friend haters, co-worker haters - you know the SAME people who smile in your face are the same ones ready to stab you in the back.
Everywhere you go you will encounter haters, so protect yourself without being too guarded. Ask God for guidance and he will lead and guide you.
How do you deal with negativity?
Updated: July 2016
Shannah Burden is a motivator, blogger, the ordinary girl next door on an extraordinary mission to empower young women everywhere, through her non-profit organization, No Validation Needed. A native of the small town Harleyville, South Carolina, Shannah hopes to travel the world and reach millions with her story of hope and unshakeable self-confidence. She plans to build an empire with No Validation Needed and she wants to reach others through various creative avenues.
