Why Everyone Says You’re Doing It Wrong Here’s the mindset shift most people never fully make, even though it changes everything once it clicks. If you do anything even slightly outside the norm, someone will tell you you’re doing it wrong. Not politely. Not tentatively. Confidently. They’ll tell you it won’t work. That it’s risky. That you’re not the right person. That your motives are questionable. That there’s a “better” or “smarter” way to do it. And if you’re honest with yourself, there’s usually a moment where you pause and think, What if they’re right? I’ve had that moment more times than I can count. But over time, I’ve realised something important: criticism isn’t proof you’re off track. It’s simply the price of choosing not to live on autopilot. People don’t evaluate your decisions on their own merits. They can’t. They only have one reference point - their own life. Everyone carries around an internal blueprint shaped by their experiences, beliefs, fears, incentives, and values. When they see you make a move - start a business, invest differently, change careers, live unconventionally - they overlay their blueprint onto your situation. And then they judge. If your choice doesn’t make sense within their framework, it gets labelled as wrong, reckless, greedy, naïve, or misguided. What they don’t see is the full context. They don’t see your long-term thinking. Your values. Your tolerance for risk. Your definition of success. Your personal incentives. The trade-offs you’re consciously making. They see a snapshot and assume they’ve seen the whole picture. I was reminded of this recently when launching something new. The response was overwhelmingly positive, but the critics were loud and certain. What struck me wasn’t that they disliked the idea - that’s normal. It was why they disliked it. They assumed the motivation. They filled in the blanks with a story that made sense to them. A financial play. A shortcut. A grab for something.

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