Let’s have a little talk about -Haters-.
We all know what haters are. We all probably know some haters too. Odds are, many of you out there might even have haters of your very own! I’ll go ahead and say that 90% or more of the haters out there are the people I’m talking about in this post. Up to 10% might have a legitimate reason for hating…maybe. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume we’re talking about the 90% that I’m about to describe.
Ultimately, I have to say...I don’t hate haters. If you think about it the way I do…you can’t help but love them just because of their very nature. Haters are important! Just not for the reason they wish they were. On this Motivational Monday morning, I think its time to talk about the haters.
What drives a hater? What do Haters…hate? Why?
So, before we go on…you might be wondering what exactly I mean by “hate”. What does it mean to be “hated on”? How does someone “hate on” you?
Think back to elementary school, middle school…yes even high school. The haters will make fun of you. The haters will belittle you and your achievements. The haters will try to recruit others to their side to make you feel like you’re all alone. The haters will bully you and badmouth you. Haters will spread rumors about you. They’ll try to make you feel like everything you’re doing doesn’t matter and no matter what you do, in the end you’re just a loser wasting their time.
If you’ve seen people getting “hated on”, you’ve probably wondered what that person did to “deserve it”. If you’re getting “hated on” yourself, its probably bothering you that you don’t know why! I’m going to make this REALLY simple:
Haters Hate Your Success
Yes. It really is that simple. Haters are bitter. Haters are jealous. Haters see in you a reflection of everything they wish they were. Haters want to be able to achieve what you have achieved. Have you lost weight recently? Your hater feels fat. Have you run a race? Your hater wishes they could run. Your hater DID run that race? You got a better time than them. I’m sure you get the point.
I know this seems really childish and like something that belongs in grade school…but it’s the unfortunate truth. Rather than celebrate your successes with you the haters try to wash it away and put you down. Rather than try to improve themselves and work on their shortcomings, they focus their energy on bringing. you. down.
But why?
Because the haters can’t be bothered to do the work.
Haters are often people who suffer from things like “The I Don’t Feel Like It Syndrome”. Maybe The Fear Monster has them in it’s grasp. Maybe they’ve got a Napoleon Complex or The Scale discouraged them so badly they just can’t bring themselves to try anymore. Maybe they’re lost in “America The Fat”. Or perhaps they just can’t drum up the motivation to get it done. Whatever the reason…SOMETHING is keeping the haters from getting what they want and being happy, and it’s everything that YOU have managed to work past to reach your successes and keep on going. That makes your haters very mad. It frustrates them. People often get angry or begin to hate what frustrates them or what they can’t understand. So since the hater can’t get past whatever it is stopping them…the mindset becomes toxic.
If the hater can’t have success, neither can you!
THAT, in a nutshell, is why haters hate. If the hater can’t be happy…if the hater can’t lose weight…if the hater can’t run a race, get an A+, get a girlfriend, get a promotion…neither should you. They hate seeing you get what they want. That’s why they hate on you and try to bring you down – they’re trying to make you quit. But this is why I love haters.
Haters let you know you’re doing a good job
Honestly, the more hate I’m catching…the harder my haters are hating, the better I must be doing. If they’re hating on me that much harder then I must be making that much greater of an achievement. THAT is why I said haters are so important – haters are your success meter! Don’t let them drag you down or discourage you – rather, let your haters be encouragement to go harder. See how much you can make the haters hate you. I’d like to hope that eventually they’ll either give up hating or start backing you, but it could very well be the case that they just can’t get past whatever their own problem is…and they’ll just keep on hating. So what. Let them hate. Just remember what it means.
By continuing to do what you’re doing you’re sending a message to your haters:
Your Opinion Does Not Matter.
Your continued success and your positive attitude lets the haters know that they are powerless to stop you. In the end, you should probably take pity on your haters – they wish they could do what you’re doing but they can’t beat their own roadblocks. They can’t plow through like you have and get down the road to success.
Sucks to suck.
So next time someone starts hating on you or trying to bring you down…just smile at them, walk away, and know that you are what someone else wishes they could be. Don’t let the haters get you down or stop you – let them push you and encourage you to keep achieving new heights. Don’t be afraid to post those before & after pictures. Don’t be afraid to talk about how you got where you are.
Don’t be afraid to keep becoming a better you. “Haters gonna hate”.
Let ’em.
