When does an insult become a compliment?

Hello there! I am so glad to be here right now. I am referring to my life and its seasons :)

What thoughts crossed your mind as you read my opening sentences?

A close friend was intrigued by the many experiences I shared about "the art of doing business." I recounted a few experiences where I met with rejection, discouraging comments, personal "insults", and more colourful scenarios I think I better not go into now. She suggested a few times that I share them to help someone else, so here I am.

I signed up for a mentoring programme once and was taken aback when my mentor declared they were told not to help me! I was too shocked to think of a response on my feet then. Later, I asked them why they would call a mentoring meeting if they felt that way. I remember watching them shrug and say "OK, I will help." They did in the end.

Another mentor asked that I pay them ï¿¡600/month to ensure I would get their attention. When I asked how this new service differed from the "almost non-response" I had been receiving, they said something that did not seem to make sense then. Sadly, we could not move things forward.

The latest unkind comment emerged from a coaching session. I have to say, in the end, I had to tell myself it was a "kind of compliment." The person in question was trying to get me to see their point while I was explaining the business model. I may have come across as someone who needed to listen better. The words that were almost shouted at me were, "One trick pony, one-man band! Other comments that have hurt were, "You're a nobody," and "No one will listen to you", and blah blah blah...

In the said incident, I asked the business coach to spell out the words so I could check their meaning after I requested a short break from the session.

These words affected me very much. I was visibly shaken, too. I remember complaining to a close friend (DrB), who expressed shock at the choice of words used in a coaching session. DrB taught me some techniques to help me process the situation afterwards.

I felt much better when I processed these comments as indirect compliments.

How do you deal with negative comments?