Even Detractors Are A Blessing

It can be hard to see the silver lining behind hurtful comments and lies, but my award-winning photographer friend Joel Garcia made me realize it one day.  Indeed, these detractors gave me a reason to speak my mind and I ended up with a huge article in the Manila Bulletin.  You can read the article HERE.  Free publicity!  Some people have to pay just to be heard or seen.

PhilPop has made me see that there are limits to what one can do in terms of connecting with other people and reasoning with them.  In other words, it really is impossible to please everyone.  You speak the truth and take the time to explain things as clearly as you can, thinking well, if I can understand something so basic and simple, surely other people can do the same. Apparently that's not always the case.  There will always be people who are either not capable of understanding or simply refuse to understand.  So much hostility and anger in them, too!  And I am amazed at the amount of energy they put into so much negativity instead of using that time and effort to improve their craft and be productive in their lives.

The most successful people in the world all have detractors, so now I just tell myself I'm in good company. =)

And speaking of success, my friend Henry posted this table on his Facebook wall.   Perfect for today's blog.  I don't know the source, but kudos to the one who made it.  There's a lot of truth in this.

I'd send each of my detractors a copy of this in the hopes that it would change them, but then again, what for?  I know now that it would be totally useless.  I see their traits right there: they blame others for their failures, they exude anger as a result,  and think they know it all.  They will not change.  And it isn't my place to try and change them. 

All I can do is be grateful for the lessons (and the free publicity) these detractors have given me.  As the saying goes, what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger.

TO BE CONTINUED...