F, as in Forget, Those That Doubt You You need to surround yourself with people that will inspire, motivate and push you to achieve greatness -- not doubters with motivation-sucking opinions.
By Jonathan Long •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
There are always going to be doubters -- and it's often friends and family members that think your idea is crazy or don't see the same opportunity that you do. It's fine -- F* them. Seriously, forget them and don't let their opinions fill you mind with doubt.
You need to surround yourself with people that will inspire, motivate and push you to achieve greatness -- not doubters with motivation-sucking opinions.
You are going to hear things such as:
- "Starting a business is difficult -- it probably won't be successful."
- "I know someone that tried before and they failed."
- "I wouldn't do it if I were you."
Related: 5 Kinds of People Who Will Help You Succeed as an Entrepreneur
There is no way to avoid doubters -- any time you start a business they will come out of the shadows and make sure their opinions are heard. While they might be trying to help they can actually get into your head if you don't filter out their nonsense.
Remember what I said above? F* them. You cannot let their opinions get to you -- even the slightest bit of self-doubt can be catastrophic. There are a few specific types of doubters you will encounter:
1. The statistician
The statistician is the person that suddenly knows everything about what you are doing. He or she will come at you with the famous "eight out of 10 new businesses fail" line, point out how many companies already exist that do something similar and quote every industry-specific statistic found on Google.
He or she will constantly remind you that the odds are stacked against you and that success isn't guaranteed. While this person may be trying to be helpful, the numbers and statistics that he or she are firing off have absolutely nothing to do with you. Never let the past failure of someone else scare you. So, F* the statisticians.
2. The ridiculer
This is the person that will ask you questions such as, "So, how is your little fantasy playing out?" He or she finds pleasure in taking jabs sprinkled with a little sarcasm whenever possible.
A ridiculer is asking you these questions because he or she wants to hear negativity come out of your mouth. Nothing would make him or her happier than you saying, "It's going horrible -- another bad month and my business will be closing its doors."
Related: How to Deal With Unsupportive Friends and Family
The truth is, he or she will be there in the beginning and throughout your entire entrepreneurial journey. He or she will constantly ask how things are going, hoping that just one time, you deliver bad news. F* the ridiculers -- use their attitudes to fuel the fire inside you.
3. The pessimist
This is the person that has a doom-and-gloom mentality all the time. He or she thinks you are crazy because in his or her mind you will 100 percent fail. The pessimist truly believes that nothing will work, there are too many obstacles to overcome and you can't possibly be successful.
What causes people to be this way? Good question, but it's usually because they are unhappy with their current situation. They will fire off negativity in an attempt to bring you down to their miserable level.
Pessimists feel that everything and everyone is against them, when in fact it's their lack of motivation and pure laziness that is responsible for the situations they are in. F* them and stay far away from their negative energy.
Final thoughts
Nobody is able to predict whether you fail or experience success. Your hard work, dedication and strategy are just some of the variables that come into play. You will have doubters -- it's unavoidable. F* them all, focus on being successful and there are no limits to what you can achieve.
If you are launching a startup or jumping into business for the first time you should join the online community I started, where you will find people to inspire you. EBOC launches in a few days -- enter your email here to join the pre-launch list.
Related: Why You Should Pursue Your Dream Even If Nobody Encourages You
