Give me hope not dope

It's easy for a man outside the ring to criticise a man inside the ring on whom punches of the opponent are raining. It's easy to slam and call him a sloppy pugilist who couldn't punch back. But at least he went out there and did something courageous, and he is on his way up; learning and getting better from his experiences.

Some people specialise in criticising others. They never congratulate you on your new product; they nitpick and come at you with a sledgehammer like you committed the worst crime because your new product has a mistake or two. These nitpickers have allowed their own frustrations and failures to embitter them. So they go about injecting their dope of negativity into the veins of a man of hope and action, trying to bring him down to their level.

Play your game of life; don't let the faultfinder distract you

Former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson became famous for his ability to bring out the best in his players. He had a team of mostly average talents but he made them win trophies. When asked by a Harvard professor how he did it, Ferguson replied, "There is no room for criticism on the training field. For a player – and for any human being – there is nothing better than hearing 'well done'. Those are the two best words ever invented..." The man knew how to build the confidence of his players and make them play their hearts out.

That kind of pat-on-the-back is what people need. A wise man once said that the only time you should look down on somebody is when you are helping them up.

As an optimist I refuse to drink from the cup of gall served by the faultfinder. As he squanders his time whining about how imperfect you are at what you are doing, keep reaching out and achieving because you are here not to be distracted by the opinions of pessimists; you are to change the world.