An interviewer said to a famous writer "How do you deal with the negative opinions recently held by some people about you?"
The writer smiled and said "When I was in high school and spent most of
my time reading and writing,people said that I should quit such '
ridiculous' hobbies and focus only on my studies.
When I studied literature in college, people said that I was '
stupid'
to pick such a stream and would never earn a living. I didn't have
enough money when I started out writing which required me to borrow
money from my family or friends, so people called me '
cheap'.
I spent hours reading and writing at home, so I was called 'lazy' while my friends went out to party or watch a new movie.
When I started doing somewhat better and no longer needed to borrow, people called me '
egoistic'.
When some of my articles got published in newspapers and magazines, people called me '
lucky'.
Then my first book was published, I was paid enough to live a decent
life,so people said that it was 'unfair since all I had was an in-born
talent'.
When I finally started earning more than enough and giving
donations,people called me a
'show-off'.
What I've learned from
all of this is that there are two ways to live : you can either live
like the way others want you to or you can live like the way you want
to, work hard to achieve your dreams and care for only those who care
for you."
