To me, being an entrepreneur means being a creator. Along the way, an entrepreneur is bound to come into contact with critics. Some critics are friendly and constructive. They may be stern or cutting in their criticisms, but they have your best interests in mind. Other critics aren’t as friendly. They will find reasons to call you and your work stupid, and criticize you when you fail.

No matter the type of critic, it is important for entrepreneurs not to be fazed. The world is made by the creators. Critics will always be there with their words, but the creators make the world to ’round.

I believe that Theodore Roosevelt said it best, so will just leave the rest of the post to his classic quote:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

– Theodore Roosevelt, “Man in the Arena”, April 23, 1910

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P.S. This is post number #93 in a 100 day blogging challenge. See you tomorrow!

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