You’re on your way to McDonald’s to buy some breakfast before school. You know you have to walk 15 minutes to get to school afterwards, so you want to be quick.
As you enter McDonald’s, you here a woman behind you snickering, “Kids these days don’t have any manners,” “Can’t hold the door for nobody.”
I was rushing, I don’t have the obligation to do anything for a stranger, she can do it herself, and I didn’t even see her behind me.
Well, when you hear people speaking about you in a negative demeanor, sometimes your initial reaction is to take in what they say, but I want you to truly think about what they say.
They make things about themselves. Like my real-life example from above, so many of the times people criticize others, it’s because they’re not getting what THEY want, or THEY’RE not okay with something, or THEY don’t like something. This simple realization makes it was easier to ignore the mean comments.
Track their attention span. If they spoke bad about you, observe them for the next few minutes (or not even) and you might see that they’re already talking about someone else. It’s like they fuel from negativity and hate on everything for the pleasure of it, so don’t think too much about what they said to you.
Create a foundation for confidence. To avoid letting a second of their negativity seep into your brain, take time to know and understand your situation. That way, when hate is thrown your way, you won’t feel insecure.
For example, you frequently buy meals from food joints. You understand that not everyone can afford to buy out as often as you do, but people still have and spend money. So if anyone critizes you on the way you spend your money, it won’t make you feel bad, and you’ll remind yourself that it’s not a crime to spend money.
Learning to not care what others think is a journey, not a destination. With time, you’ll stop caring about people’s negative comments. In turn, you’ll keep your peace.
I'm On Break 