Don't Listen to Naysayers

It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled
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 and comes short again and again...
who knows the great enthusiasms,
the great devotions,
and spend 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 know neither victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

There will always come a time in life when you decide to change your status quo. It could be a career change, a move to a foreign city, or simply any new venture that departs from your existing state of affairs. As usual with making any important decisions, you will want to seek advice and opinion from family members, friends and colleagues.

Take their opinions, particularly objections with a grain of salt.

Now, I am not proposing that you abruptly reject their objections. Listen to what they have to say. Most of the time, family members shoot down your wondrous proposal because they have your best interest at heart. They might think that your idea is badly made and it would not work as intended. Analyze their opinions. They may not be right all of the time. If you still think your idea is viable, by all means, go ahead. But do take steps to reassure those who have different opinions, just to ease their worry.

Contrary to those who have your best interest at heart, you will probably have a couple of people in your life who constantly rant and whine about the most insignificant inconveniences. Having poor and downbeat attitude, they always view the glass half empty. Due to their pessimism, they seldom leave their comfort zone, and will be the last one to take up new challenges. They are the naysayers.

As soon as you bring up your doubt, these naysayers will stop at nothing to bring a sense of negativity to the situation. This doesn't mean they have had bad experiences before and are now harping about it, trying to save you from repeating the same mistakes. They just feel uncomfortable at your endeavour.

I do not approve of naysayers. They are those cold and timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat. I'd rather try and fail than do nothing. We as human beings learn from mistakes. An infant will fall before he learns to walk. We must be willing to make mistakes.

When you come across this type of people, ignore them. Their negative comments do not contain any real value and only work to sabotage your attempt, hindering you from reaching the next level.

Can you identify anyone in your life who fits the above descriptions?