Almost everything that’s changed the world in a positive way has been an unreasonable idea. It’s unreasonable, until it’s commons sense. That’s how change happens and so in order to make a difference in the world, it’s incredibly important to be able to ignore the naysayers. Some of the best and brightest from our community share their stories and advice below.

Dr. Tatiana

No matter what, I never forget why I started and who I started this for. When I remember that I am aligned with a higher purpose, it is a lot easier to sift through the noise and stay aligned on my path.

The best response is by staying true to your mission, because …”who are they?” – they won’t know the work involved. In an ideal world, the people worth listening to will respect you enough to communicate with you instead of about you. Read More>>

Lionel Irving

My life has been a journey of overcoming challenges. I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to become a community leader; I had to endure hardships first. There was a time when a felony conviction meant being shut out from most opportunities. People viewed it as a life sentence, not just legally but in how they perceived you. But now? It has become my source of credibility. Read More>>

Lizzie Hagstedt

When I was in college, I remember a professor for some reason decided to tell me, quote, “you are homely and you need to learn to deal with it.” I don’t remember why. Maybe I’d dared to cast myself in a kissy scene. Now, I’d never been under any delusion that I had a future in modeling, but it was one of those moments, to steal from “Inside Out”, a personality island formed. Homely Island. I felt unloveable, I felt laughable.  Read More>>

Beily Santos

Honestly, I’ve never been one to let the opinions of others dictate what I do. If anything, the more hate I get, the more motivated I am—it’s like free confirmation that I’m making waves. The way I see it, people who hate are usually the ones who wish they had the confidence to do what I do. They’re watching, they’re talking, and that just means I’m doing something right. Read More>>

Crystal A Jordan

I’ve learned to take the focus off the nay-sayers and put it back on myself. You can’t stop people from talking about you, but what you can control is how you feel about yourself and the narrative you choose to tell yourself. Staying focused on my purpose and anchoring myself to my ‘why’ has kept me moving forward, no matter the negativity. Read More>>

Stephanie Venezia

Just as a coin has two sides, as does every feeling or opinion. For every hater out there who has found something to dislike about my cafe or me personally, there is someone who feels the opposite about those same things. On days when those negative voices get loud or seem overwhelming, I do my best to focus on the positive ones instead.  Read More>>

Uma Strong

I Persist in spite of the haters, the naysayers, and the attackers In my life, because I know my destiny is great and inevitable no matter what obstacles are in the way.

I have found that in my life, my haters have put me in real danger through their energetic influence, and their hateful actions against me. I have been financially sabotaged by my family, friends, and strangers and as a result, I found myself in situations where I had to face real poverty, physical assault, and unsafe environments. Read More>>

Heather Graves

“Bullying that comes from ‘haters’ when you are becoming more successful is a very important subject to talk about. Every type of business has them, but when you become a public figure, it is amplified.” Says Heather Graves, owner of “Into The Graves Productions” and manager for the Surfabilly band, “The Patina Turners”.  Read More>>

Thomas Guerra

It’s never easy to have people rooting for your failure, but I’ve learned to accept it as part of the journey to success. Sadly, some of these individuals came disguised as friends. Over time, I’ve lost friends who secretly envied my role and achievements. Read More>>

Early Flea!

Early Flea! just keeps it real. We keep our shades on so we don’t even notice the haters. Absolutely blocked. One time we played, what we thought was a kick butt rock show, but the crowd was not on our side. They turned against us, yelling and even throwing a few tomatoes at us. Despite the chaos, we were unfazed.  Read More>>

Heba Azer

“When I decided to become a Zumba instructor 13 and a half years ago, many people advised me not to pursue it. They said that, because I wasn’t an athlete and had struggled with being overweight, I wouldn’t be successful in this field. But I didn’t let that deter me. I followed my passion and completed my training, and now, I’m teaching Zumba at three gyms. Read More>>

Azat Kamaletdinov

Yes, I have indeed faced skepticism directed at me. The funniest instance was when my art teacher handed me my art school diploma and said I would never become an artist.

I believe that most people who tell you that you won’t succeed lack any real expertise themselves. They are often guided by their own fears and insecurities. Read More>>

Sarah Walton

This one is so important because one of the biggest reasons people stop working on their dreams, or don’t even start in the first place, is because of what other people will think.

And part of that is because we all know there’s a “success tax” out there. It’s called criticism. When someone succeeds, the nastiness rears its head. I mean, people even criticize Oprah! Oprah! What on earth? Read More>>

Steven Nisbet

The “Haters” or “Nay-Sayers” are what I call, “White Noise”.

Sure some of them may bring about decent points, but I would call those critics, individuals who will say something negative but if we are humble enough, we can take some key points from what these critics say and apply them. Read More>>