Some people will hate how other people love you. Jealousy is a sneaky form of hatred. Some people just don’t want to watch you keep winning. That’s a fact. An unfortunate fact, but you have the ability to live above it. Here’s how- smile through the hate. Haters can’t stand it when your smile doesn’t fade.
I always try giving the opposite reaction that a hater would want from me, and you can test me on my video comments. I do this for two reasons- one, because when someone is trying to hate on you, it says more about them than it does about you, so by laughing it off and not letting it get to you, it will defuse the situation. Two, because I think that it is important to be able to laugh at yourself. I don’t want to tell you not to take yourself too seriously, because I think you should take your life seriously, but I want you to get to a place of peace with yourself that can’t be shaken by haters. This reminds me of a time when I had someone post a parody video of me to try and get under my skin but it was actually kind of funny, so I reached out and asked if I could post it on my page!
It’s harder when it’s coming from somebody close to you. Let’s talk about your family or friends. Some of us have haters in our close circle. That hurts. So what do you do when someone close to you is trying to tear you down? What can you do other than lean into the truth and let God handle it? Recognize that you don’t need anyone but yourself to get the things you need in this life. Don’t get me wrong, it helps to help the support of others, but ultimately it’s on you. If you have to cut people out that don’t see the vision, then that’s okay. Let God do something with their story, it’s not your place. All you can do is focus on you. Show them love and grace and lean into the truth.
No matter what you do, there are always going to be haters. Maybe it can feel like more now than ever because of the age of the internet. It can be very difficult to ignore the anonymous voices of the comment sections in your life. I remember a time when I had two games in the season that weren’t my best and the haters came out of the woodwork. I had to remind myself over and over that I had a great season but that we all mess up once in a while. My coach told me something that I will never forget. He said, “Trent, if you live by their praises then you will die by their criticisms.” Think about that for a minute. If you are measuring your worth by the words of others, what happens when they start to turn on you? Will you be strong enough to stand in the truth?
It all starts with you.
