Dealing With Critics

It seems there is never a shortage of critics around for those who are pursuing their dreams. When faced with critics, I am reminded many times of how crabs react to one another when one is trying to escape the confines of a bucket. Just as the crab is about to pull himself over the rim of the bucket to freedom, one of the others will pull him back down. In the same way, there are people who constantly try to pull us back down to the level of mediocrity by criticizing our dreams and goals for the future.

One of the most effective ways to deal with negativity is to avoid it altogether. If we constantly surround ourselves with people who criticize our plans, then it's very easy to get discouraged. Next, do plenty of research to find out every possible challenge you might face along the way. Remember, we don't want to fall prey to negativity, but we must also be very realistic in determining the obstacles we might face along the way. If we desire to start a business, we need to do market research to find out if there is a need for our product or service

Lastly, you must have a solid game plan in place for accomplishing your goals. Remember, a dream without a plan is just a dream. It seems that everyone has a dream, but most people aren't willing to put a plan behind their dream. Someone once said, "Success is when preparation meets opportunity."

Imagine if Thomas Edison had given into all the naysayers after he failed the 9,999th time in his attempt to invent the incandescent light bulb!

Listed here are a few famous individuals who faced plenty of naysayers in ther lives:

- "How long will you go on training all day in the gym and living in a dream world?" - Arnold Schwarzenegger's family's pleas for him to get a "respectable" job instead of following his goal to become Mr. Universe.

"Liquidate the business right now and recoup whatever cash you can. If you don't, you'll end up penniless." - The attorney of Mary Kay Ash weeks before she opened her first store.

"It's a cutthroat business and you've got no chance of success." - Accountant for Estee Lauder, founder of the cosmetic s empire.

"You can't play the piano, and God knows you can't sing. You'd better learn to weave chairs so you can support yourself." - Advice given to Ray Charles by one of his teachers.

"You're foolish to try to sell sparkling water in the land of Coca Cola drinkers." - Advice given by a consulting firms to Gustave Leven, on trying to launch Perrier in the United States.