“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

It started a long time ago from the moment you were delivered to this world; your family and friends are wired to make you want to take the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, the challenge with that is that the ship is safe in the harbor, but that is not what ships are made for; you have to follow your bliss, discover your purpose, reinvent and become who you are meant to become. Live, learn, leave a legacy and make the world a better place.

Haters, Doubters, Critics and Naysayers do not really hate you, they despise themselves because you are the reflection of what they could have become had they followed their bliss.

 “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” – Winston Churchill

The key to letting the doubters eat their words is to focus on yourself; Winners focus on winning, and losers focus on the winners. The key is to work on yourself, tune out the noise, execute relentlessly and be the best version of yourself. When you eventually make it, you will know the value of the haters as it would propel you; it becomes the fuel to execute. They would remember your name. As doubters would always doubt, haters would always hate, they would underestimate you, but you have to believe in yourself as you are born to be extraordinary and exceptional.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. – Mahatma Gandhi.

What people think about you and your dreams and aspiration is none of your business, they have the right to their opinion but not the fact; you determine that.

“An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until finally he knows everything about nothing.” (A manager, therefore, must be someone who knows less and less about more and more until finally she knows nothing about everything. So what happens when an expert and a manager meet?)”

People would always have opinions even the so-called experts, but most times they might also be wrong, Remember there are no right answers, just informed opinions and opinions are just transitory perceptions, it changes all the time. Imagine if the following inventors listened to the naysayers and experts, we would not have the following innovations:

• “The phonograph is of no commercial value.” —Thomas Edison, remarking on his own invention in 1880.
• “There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom.” —Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize winner in physics, 1920.
• “It is an idle dream to imagine that automobiles will take the place of railways in the long-distance movement of passengers.” —American Road Congress, 1913.
• “With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.” — Business Week, August 2, 1968.
• “I think there is a world market for about five computers.” —Thomas Watson, chairman IBM, 1943.
• “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” —Ken Olsen, president of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977
• “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” — Western Union internal memo, 1876.
• “While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility.” — Lee DeForest, inventor.
• “There will never be a bigger plane built.” — A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people

Imagine if the innovators listened to the above statements by the gurus, the experts are usually well-meaning most times but they do get it wrong sometimes. If you think you can, you can, if you think you can’t you won’t. It is all in the mind, what the mind of a man can conceive and believe it can and would achieve.

“He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.” – James Allen

We are all going to be doubted at one point or the other whether you are Barack Obama, Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Micheal Jordan, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Lebron James, Usain Bolt, Lanre Dahunsi, the key is to prove them wrong and strive to be the best version of yourself. Don’t rest on your laurels, work so hard that people know you on a first-name basis, Ronaldo, Barrack, Lebron, Jordan, Brady and turn your signature into an autograph. The only way to shut the haters and doubters up is by your results, as your results would cancel the insults and Success is the Best Revenge.

You have to use the doubt, hate, criticism, and noise as fuel to achieve your dreams and aspiration. It will not be easy; the road will be rough with its twists and turns, peaks, and valleys, but you have to promise yourself that you would not let the success get into your head, neither would you let your failures get in your heart. You’ve got this, you are made for extraordinary, and exceptional feats, Just Do It.

In his book, “Put Your Dream to the Test.” Author John C Maxwell writes: “Which critics count and which don’t? Heed the advice of the critic when . . .

• You are unconditionally loved by the one who criticizes you.
• The criticism is not tainted by his or her personal agenda.
• The person is not naturally critical of everything.
• The person will continue giving support after giving advice.
• He or she has knowledge and success in the area of the criticism.

You have to analyze who is criticising you or giving you the feedback have they done what they are talking about. We live in a world where someone can give you advise on writing who is not a writer, entrepreneur coach who has not started a business, Life coaches who have not got their shit together, the key is to be mindful of who you listen to and try to listen more to your inner voice. Block out the noise, execute and the results would eventually come but you have to hang in there. Start that business, start the manuscript, attend the class, write that goal down, the key is constant motion and getting things done.

Vision + Action + Passion = Unstoppable Momentum

As Anthony Robbins often says, we do not get our shoulds in life; we get our musts. You need to tune out the noise, believe and bet on yourself, do the work, and prove the naysayers wrong. I would be rooting for you as I do hope to see you at the Top.

All the Best in your Quest to get Better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.