As soon as you attempt anything worth doing, you’ll encounter haters. Haters hate because they disagree with you, they’re jealous of you or they fear change. They’re vocal. They’re intimidating. But we can’t be afraid of haters.
In fact, hate can offer an amazing opportunity for success. Here’s why:
Haters open the door for super fans.
People’s opinions of you fall on a continuum. Before you attempt anything worth while, most everyone’s opinion of you is neutral. Now think of that continuum like a seesaw.
Hate You – – – – – – – – – Don’t Care – – – – – – – – – Love You
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So you start doing something that challenges the norm. People begin to move away from the center–to one side or the other. The balance tips. There will always be balance. The more polarized your audience becomes, the more extreme the love and hate become. Eventually, you have super-haters on one side, and super-fans on the other.
The more hate there is, the less neutrality exists. Super-haters create the void, necessary for super-fans.
The coolest thing of all…is that this whole process is completely independent of you. You don’t need to defend yourself from the haters, because the super fans will do that for you.
Look at Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Twilight, Harry Potter…super-fans and super-haters in a constant battle.
The point: you don’t have to defend yourself from haters. Don’t fall into the trap. Keep doing what you’re doing. Let super-fans rise to the occasion and defend you.
Thanks for this, it was pretty encouraging – needed that reminder today.
Feeling some hate? You can do it man! Send me what you’re working on if you need some encouragement 🙂
Thanks for this, it was pretty encouraging – needed that reminder today.
Feeling some hate? You can do it man! Send me what you’re working on if you need some encouragement 🙂