Remember when you were a kid and you accomplished something great at school? Maybe it was a school election you won, or an award you received for placing first in the school spelling bee.
Of course your family was proud of you, and most of your friends rallied around and were happy for you, but there always seemed to be that small group of kids that found reasons not to share in your success.
Instead of congratulating you, they criticized you.
Instead of acknowledging your accomplishment in a positive and supportive way, they tried to diminish the importance of it by saying cruel things that weren't true.
It would be nice if we could say simply, that kids are kids, and they say and do mean things because they're young and immature.
They'll grow out of it, right? And for most people, that is exactly right.
But for some, criticizing others to help themselves feel better about their own shortcomings unfortunately becomes part of their character; part of their way of dealing with personal failures even as an adult.
So how is this relevant to you and your business? As you develop and grow your business you begin to shine your light in the world.
You've heard me say this before- the light within you is a gift to be shared freely with the world in whatever ways bring the most joy to you and most positive influence to others.
But you should always be aware that there are going to be people out there who will find reasons to try to sabotage your success.
They may criticize your work or pick apart your products or services; whatever they can do to bring you down, discourage you and hamper your success.
You should understand that these people are acting out their own feelings of insecurity; a lack of self-confidence in their own abilities.
The more successful you are, the more likely you are to encounter this type of negative, unprofessional attitude from some people.
So, what do you do about it? How do you handle these people? Ignore them; don't engage in negative banter.
Understand that this happens, and it often happens because some people, for whatever reasons, are simply afraid to shine their own light in the world.
The fear they feel shows through the criticisms they freely offer to others, and they deal with the absence of their own shining light by trying to extinguish the light in others.
It has very little to do with you or your business.
It is about them.
Ignore them.
Redirect your attention to positive feedback, supportive people and your many accomplishments.
Think about your successes and how much you have accomplished because of your self-confidence, dedication and determination.
One thing I do when I encounter people who try to bring me down is I spend time reading through the wonderful messages I receive through Facebook, Twitter and emails.
I focus on the many clients, colleagues and friends who value me as a professional and love me as an individual.
It's difficult not to let negative comments hurt at first, but surrounding myself with positive energy causes my light to brighten again in no time.
I want to leave you with one last thought.
Sometimes, people may have legitimate concerns or criticisms about a product or service you have provided.
Their intent may not be to tear you down or damage your own reputation or self-esteem, but simply to make you aware that the product or service did not meet their expectations.
So you have to learn how to discern the positive criticism from the negative, and use the positive comments to learn from and grow.
Keep an open mind, be objective and ask yourself honestly if there is any truth to what they are saying.
If there is, then take the comments and learn from them.
If you determine that there isn't, like water off a duck's back, ignore them and move on.