If you’re like me, you have trouble dealing with negative people or situations. I can feel myself getting sucked into the negativity, and it’s not healthy. And if you’re on a creative journey, there will always be people looking to bring you down. Which is kind of how life is, in general. But how you handle the negativity and choose to respond to these kinds of people can say a lot about you. Is there a right answer? Or does each situation deserve a different kind of response?
There are many people out there, who feel it is their sole purpose to bring other people down. You know who they are. They are genuinely negative at all times. No matter what. These people will tell you that you need to give up, and that you’ll never make it. They will tell you that your goals are unachievable and that you’re going to fail. It’s these people that can do a lot of emotional harm if you let them stay in your life for any longer than is necessary. Fortunately, there is a simple way to address these types of people. One way is to block them on social media. When you let negative people do their thing, it can bring you down so quickly. So don’t be afraid to block them. And don’t engage with them!
We are all on a journey, pursing some kind of craft or chasing a dream. We are all at different stages on that journey. Some of us are just starting out, while others are nearing the end. None of us have the time or energy to deal with the haters. The easiest thing we can do is literally block it from our online presence. But, I should note, there is a huge difference between criticism and negativity. Sure, block the haters, but don’t automatically block out criticism. Understanding the difference can be hard, but well-intentioned criticism can help you grow and it is often vital to your success.
This applies to other aspects of our lives as well. Not just related to our creative journey’s. Maybe you’re trying to lose weight. Or maybe you’re trying to upgrade your education, in order to get a better job. Regardless of what you’re doing, you need to be able to keep the haters away. I am extremely critical of myself. So much so, that I can bring myself down without even really trying. Which means, it is very easy for a negative person to bring me down. And I can’t have that. It doesn’t help me to achieve my goals. And it won’t help you either.
Sometimes haters don’t actually realize that they’re hating. That’s just the way they are. It’s the way they’ve always been. If you know the person, it might not be a bad idea to let them know that they’re being negative. This might not be the approach everyone wants to take. But if you’re cutting someone out of your life, they at least deserve to know why. Negativity is bad news in all aspects of your life. Regardless of who is bringing it to you, you have to make it stop.