Life is interesting in that the better you do and the more you elevate yourself and expand your reach and succeed, the more opposition you will face. This is a fact. This transcends industries, jobs, race, gender and basically all other factors. No matter who you are, you will have a situation where you have to deal with haters in your life. Over the years, I have changed my perspective on haters and consequently, how I respond to them. I hope that my experiences can help you when you are faced head-to-head with your own haters today or tomorrow.

Are You Hater Bait Or Not?

Essentially, the lower profile you keep and the more ‘go with the flow’ you are, the more you hide yourself from the haters glaring eye. If you decide to take this route to ward them off, read no further.

Otherwise, the problem with this is that the more you hide yourself from the haters, the more you essentially hide yourself from you. The downside to keeping a status quo life is that you are never really growing, challenging yourself, innovating, or putting yourself out there in a new way.

Remember this: The biggest growth experiences arise when you take fear head on and don’t back away, but instead push through. These moments are never easy and you will be confronted with so much resistance, but once you’re on the other side you will be able to find clarity and strength, which will continue to propel you forward to things you could have never imaged before.

Why Haters Gonna’ Hate

Haters typically hate you for one of three reasons

• They see you as a threat
• They hate themselves
• They want to be you

Lose Your Fear of Being Hate Bait

Until you come to a point in your life where you decide to confront fear and uncertainly – and potential haters with abandonment – you will never truly reach your potential or your calling.

Remember this: It is better to be hated for who you are – than to be loved for what you are not.

Take Haters Head On

1. Address haters in your personal life head on – or find a way to cut them out of your life.
2. Do not give haters power over you – which means ignore them. Never respond to haters on social media. That is giving them your attention and your time, which they do not deserve.
3. Avoid taking Haters personally – do not let a hater create self-doubt for you, as that is their goal. They are unhappy with themselves and jealous of you for some reason, but don’t take that same insecurity on.
4. Keep yourself distant from haters physically and emotionally – surround yourself with positive people that support and encourage you, they will always drown out the voices of haters.
5. Set boundaries for yourself and don’t ever let a hater cross the line – when you have a hater in your day-to-day life, have a direct conversation with them about not wanting negativity and hatred in your life and try to find a solution, even if that means removing that person from your life. Your mental health is worth so much more than allowing a hater to impose on your life.
6. Prioritize yourself and put yourself first – haters can come way after that regardless of who they are in your life. Take care of you.
7. When haters come, don’t take it as a sign that something is wrong; take it as a sign that you are doing something right! If everyone loved you, you wouldn’t be evolving, growing or innovating and that is something to be afraid of.

Don’t Be A Hater Yourself

Lastly, if you stand on the riverbank long enough, you will see all of your haters float by. Keep doing the right thing, be true to yourself and be good to others and karma will take care of the rest.

Remember this:
You will face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle.
― Shannon L. Alder