Stop arguing with cartoons

Success is never void of criticism, and that’s a price I’ve no problem paying. They say criticism never comes from above, and I 100% believe that. There is a price to pay for success, and those who’ve went before you, and have achieve much more business success, understand those costs. I genuinely want the best for everyone, I love business and watching people get on in life, there’s enough for us all so why would I ever be critical of others trying to get ahead? I want to help lift people up, never knock them down.

I’ve had my fair share of criticism over the years, and I accept it’s part of the job, and some criticism is fair. I know I’ll never get everything right, I’ll fuck up from time-to-time, and I’ll take my medicine when I do. After many years, I’ve developed the ability to block out the noise, but often I see others getting dragged into the gutter with their critics, and it simply does no-one any good.

I believe if you’ve got a problem with someone, you tell them, a concept that seems to have been lost over time. Nowadays, the comments section of news sites or social media feeds seems to be the forum for airing grievances, which is a zero sum game, there is little value to be had, especially when comments are anonymous, or come from a cartoon.

Cartoon, avatar, fake profile, weird name, shadow profile pic, whatever, they’re all in the same basket of useless to me, because comments that can’t be verified are simply nonsense, and professionals don’t concern themselves with the opinions of cartoons. I’ve known successful businesspeople, even the mega-successful, who engage in arguments with these unverified bots, and I just don’t understand why.

Some argue for better verification online, but I wouldn’t waste any time with it. These ‘Mickey-mousers’ don’t have anything to offer. If they had anything of value to offer, I’d welcome a conversation with them, but they don’t so I’ll continue to drown out their noise. If someone needs to hide behind a fake profile to sling mud, I have no desire to read what they’ve got to say. I focus my energy on making progress, and happily leave these people behind.

Time is finite, and an hour spent arguing with these cartoons, is an hour that could be spent doing something productive. The time and energy that is spent arguing, or even just reading these comments takes away from doing something much more valuable.

The people I want to be doing business with don’t read this nonsense either, they don’t put give any credence to what anonymous bots are saying either. Drown out the noise, leave the cartoons in their own negative space, and focus on getting things done that move you towards your goals.