4 Ways to Deal with the Dreaded 'Haters' in Your Life

Do you have 'haters?' You know who I'm talking about -- the kind of person who will find fault with pretty much anything. You could be Jesus, Mother Teresa, or Gandhi and they would still find something wrong with you (or what you have to say). Well, if you have haters, then congratulations! You're doing something right. My grandmother always told my mom growing up that "If your head is above the crowd, someone is always going to try to chop it down." Unfortunately, she's right. Luckily, most people in the world are nice. But when that occasional 'hater' pops up, what should you do? I'll have some suggestions for you here in a bit. But let me first give you an example from my life.

I am a writer for a popular motivation website. I love writing for them because it's almost like writing a second blog. It gives me another outlet to help people. One of my recent articles has been shared on social media almost 153,000 times so far. I am truly humbled that so many people liked my article enough to share it. However, this morning I just realized that I had a lot of comments about the article. So I decided to read them. Most of them were positive, but there were a few of them that were pretty brutal. One of them said, "It's amazing what can pass for a "Ph.D" these days." And another called one of my points "asinine." And another one called me an "egomanic." I think that one was my favorite! Yep, it was. I have been called some things in my lifetime, but NEVER an egomanic! I laughed really hard at that one.

Did it make me feel good to read these comments? Of course not. I'd be lying if I said it did. But after the first initial "sting," I just reframed it. I realized that these haters probably hate on everything. Not that my article was perfect, but it was written by me. So it's my perspective and opinion. And anyone who knows me knows that I always encourage debate and disagreement. I don't shy away from it at all. In fact, I think it helps us grow when we see other ways of looking at things. So I decided to take the high road and reply to everyone's comments in a positive way.

I thanked them all for reading. And I never, ever, sunk to the level of the 'hater.' I won't lie and say I didn't want to write a few zingers back to them, but that would do me no good. I write so I can help people and set an example of love. So that's what I did -- I replied with kindness and love. I wished them happiness, success, and Godspeed. I really wish I could be a fly on the wall when they read my reaction. They were probably expecting a 'hating' response in return. But they didn't get it.

Here are four suggestions for dealing with the 'haters' in your life.