4 Tips to Stop Listening to Naysayers and Live Your Best Life
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There are few things in this world that are more frustrating than figuring out how to stop listening to naysayers. Regardless of what change you are trying to make in your life or goal you are trying to reach, you will always have people trying to discourage you and getting in your head.
It’s hard to know how to ignore the naysayers, and so we often end up being very affected by their opinions. If this is something you find yourself dealing with, here are four of our best tips on how to deal with naysayers and live your best life.
4 Ways to Stop Listening to Naysayers
1. Be Convicted in Your Goal
When we are unsure about our goals or beliefs, it’s very easy for others to knock them down. But when we are clear about what we want, committed to our goals, trust ourselves and confident in our abilities, the comments of naysayers go in one ear and out the other because we believe in who we are, and the vision we have for our lives.
So, the first step to learning how to ignore naysayers is to come from a place of authenticity, confidence and commitment to your goal.
2. Understand Others’ Point of View
As frustrating as naysayers are, it’s important to note that they don’t always come from a place of malice. Before you get upset at their comments or stop listening to their point of view, you need to understand not only what they’re saying, but where they’re coming from – their perspective and their motives toward you. Are they telling you not to freelance because they don’t have confidence in your skills and abilities, or are they afraid of losing their own jobs?
When listening to naysayers, it’s also important to ask yourself, are they experts? Do the people offering advice or opinions professionals in the subject matter? Do they have experience dealing with what you’re contemplating doing?
If their advice isn’t coming from a place of experience and expertise, then consider it really is irrelevant. They don’t know any more than you do about it. So what’s to say your way of thinking and your perspective isn’t right or won’t be successful?
In many cases (not all, but many) what you’ll learn is that most naysayers come from a place of fear and insecurity from their own lives and experience. They just don’t know any better. And the best thing to do in those circumstances is to thank them for their input, because they’re often really just trying to help you and keep you from harm, but don’t take what they say seriously.
3. Don’t Overshare
If you want to stop listening to naysayers, don’t give them anything to talk about! Stop sharing your business with everyone.
Your goals and the overall vision you have for your life are valuable, precious and delicate things. Keep your goals to yourself, and share them only with those people whose thoughts and opinions you value and trust and whose intentions toward you are pure and sincere. And even then, you still have to be extremely careful to weigh their input against your own thoughts and ideas.
Give yourself the ability to quietly and confidently build a solid foundation for your life vision (or whatever you’re attempting to do or accomplish), because a solid foundation is nearly impossible to knock down. But if you carelessly share your goals or intentions with anyone and everyone who has an opinion (and let’s face it, we all do) without having created a strong foundation for what you see for yourself and your life, it’s easy for the comments of naysayers to cast doubt in you and to cause your plans to crumble.
4. Don’t Engage
One of the most difficult – but rewarding – ways to stop listening to naysayers is to simply refuse to engage. If you don’t engage in a conversation where someone is being negative or discrediting you, they don’t get the response that they want and eventually they’ll just stop talking.
Whether you have had naysayers try to talk you out of a dietary change, pursuing a new career, or following your dreams, it’s time to stop listening to them. If you allow their opinions to be so substantial in your life, you will never be able to move forward and progress with confidence on your own.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to stop listening to naysayers is one of the most valuable skills you can possibly learn. While it may seem like a difficult task in the beginning, follow these four tips and you’ll realize that it’s much easier than you thought, and much better for your life!
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Kimberly Clay is the founder and creative force behind What She Say. She’s a business professional, writer and editor who’s been creating and managing digital content for nearly twenty years. Her work is now focused in the areas of self-improvement and personal development, and she is passionate about helping other individuals, especially women, to find a path for living their best life.