“When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom or criticize you, remember, they are telling you their story, not yours.”—Cynthia Occelli

Imagine entering your workplace in the morning in high spirits, only to bump into a noxious co-worker who welcomes you with a satirical remark or a criticizing glare. What will it do to your motivation level? Disturbingly enough, we all encounter such situations at work on a regular basis. To make matters worse, most of us do not know how to deal with them and keep our spark from waning out. In such a situation, it becomes extremely difficult to keep your enthusiasm up. In this article, you will learn about keeping your chin up, even when you are boxed in by adverse people.

1.  Be Passionate and Jot Down Your Goals

First things first, you should be passionate about what you do. Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Group says, “A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure.” When things are not going your way, it’s your unflinching devotion and passion that will drive you towards your goals. Write down your aims on a piece of paper to keep them in sight. Visualize them and keep reminding yourself about your goals by reading them aloud. When you envisage what you have to do, a road map appears in your mind’s eye, giving you an idea of the milestones you have to triumph for getting to the ultimate objective. This will help you stay motivated even when you are faced with a lot of criticism and feel down in the dumps.

2. Make Solitude Your Friend

Toxic people are always looking for a window to criticize you and they will not let up any chance to do so. If you come under fire, it is better to move away and spend some quiet time with yourself. Sometimes it is better to get out of the present moment and contemplate the past and future. Give yourself some time to regroup and let notions flow naturally to you. Who knows you might get your “Eureka” moment, right when you are in a quiet state of mind.

3.  Set Boundaries When Talking To Naysayers

Most people will advise you to steer clear of toxic people as much as possible but sometimes, it becomes inevitable. Imagine, if one of your family members, friends or a co-worker who sits next to you, possesses all the characteristics of a toxic personality. Could you possibly ignore them and pretend they don’t exist? No, right. You might be thinking what to do? Start off by establishing boundaries when you talk to anyone who is notorious for nitpicking. Every time you feel a wave of toxicity surfacing up, change the subject. Even when conversing about work, be careful with what you say as they are always keeping a hawk’s eye for a slip up.

4.  Convert a Naysayer into a Motivator

This might seem like the most difficult thing to do, but if you succeed, you not only save yourself from further reproach but also incur the blessings of other victims. If you are confident in your skin, jump on opportunities to prove them wrong. For instance you can engage them in a gamble with a reward attached. If you have to contend with having to complete 30 tasks by the end of the week, and your naysayer is confident that you will fall behind, ask them to bet on it. If you win, your adversary has to pay for your lunch or dinner, per say. Additionally, you get a chance to prove them wrong and compel them to focus on your positives in turn. If you lose, you will have to reciprocate, but at least it will push you harder to achieve your goals. Win-win!

5. Never Justify to Others

Bill Gates summed it up brilliantly when he said, “Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.” Instead of whiling away precious time in comparing yourself with others and justifying your actions, you should focus on being answerable to yourself first. Deep inside, you know what you are doing and you might be the best person to judge yourself. You can shut them up once and for all, by asserting how you do not feel the need to answer to anyone but yourself.

6. Use Data as A Weapon

Data does not lie. There is no better way to hush a pessimist than putting out hard cold facts in their hands. All you have to do is to dig in deeper to collect data and present it in a form that can easily be digested by anyone. They cannot deny the facts and hard numbers. Even if they do, they will land themselves into hot waters. Even if you are unable to convince them to your side, this will boost your self-confidence and give you a sense of inner victory that will keep you motivated. With task management software, extracting useful data is no longer a problem.

7.  Surround Yourself with Supportive People

“Every cloud has a silver lining.” You might have heard this adage countless times but did you know that it actually holds true? No matter how grave the situation might be, there are always some positives you can take out of it. Similarly, you might be stuck in the middle of toxic people but there are some supportive ones in the sea as well. All you have to do is to identify these blissful folks and start spending more time with them. Ask them for help when needed and they will be willing to lend a helping hand to get you out of your pickle.

Conclusion

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” This quote by Charles R Swindoll clearly highlights the importance of your reactions to tough situations. How you deal with naysayers will prove to be a difference maker between your success and failure. By using some of the tactics discussed above, you can easily stay motivated despite being surrounded by toxic people. Don’t let the naysayers rain over your parade anymore.

How do you stay motivated in the midst of naysayers? Feel free to share with us in the comments section below.