I don’t take constructive criticism from anyone who hasn’t constructed shit.

And neither should you.

I’ve been a creative individual from the moment I could hold a pencil. I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was seventeen. I’m not listing this to flex or posture. I’m stating it so you understand where this perspective comes from. This is lived experience, not theory. These are scar tissue lessons, not quotes pulled from a podcast.

Over the years I’ve learned something very clear, and once you see it you can’t unsee it. The people who give the most criticism, the most unsolicited advice, the most confident opinions about what you should do with your life are usually the ones who have done nothing and are currently doing nothing. They are spectators with microphones. Judges who never entered the arena.

Now let me be clear, because nuance matters. This does not mean that someone has to have done the exact thing you are doing in order to have a valid opinion. Wisdom can come from observation. Insight can come from outside the craft. But if you know, you know. There is a very specific energy that comes from people who criticize from a place of insecurity, stagnation, or fear. It feels different. It hits different. And your spirit recognizes it before your mind does.

Throughout my career, through hundreds of conversations, one on one and in rooms full of people, I’ve seen a pattern that honestly pisses me off. So many talented, gifted, capable people have allowed the words of others to change how they think about themselves. They let offhand comments rewrite their internal dialogue. They let doubt creep in where belief used to live. They shrink. They hesitate. They stall. Not because they lacked ability, but because they absorbed opinions that were never meant for them in the first place.

This is where I step in and say stop. Full stop.

Just like anything else we want to change, work on, or improve in our lives, confidence takes practice. Belief takes repetition. Self trust is a muscle. You do not wake up one day immune to criticism. You build that resistance over time by choosing yourself again and again. Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes improvement. And improvement compounds.

Everything starts within. Your thoughts shape your posture. Your posture shapes how the world responds to you. When you start to believe in yourself, not in a loud performative way, but in a grounded unshakeable way, other people feel that. That’s what we like to call energy, but it’s really alignment.

A lot of people have yet to understand this simple truth. Everything you think, feel, and believe about yourself is eventually reflected back to you by others. If you feel small, unsure, or unworthy, it shows. It leaks out in your tone, your decisions, your boundaries. And without sounding crazy, which you know I don’t mind sounding, that might be the exact reason you are being perceived and received in ways you don’t like. The world is not always reacting to who you are. Sometimes it’s reacting to how you see yourself.

Here’s another uncomfortable truth. Most people who are actually successful do not spend their time criticizing. They encourage. They ask questions. They share perspective without trying to dominate the room. They remember what it felt like to be unsure. They recognize potential because they had to fight to see it in themselves first. Pay attention to that. It’s one of the clearest tells there is. If someone constantly dismisses your ideas, downplays your vision, or meets your excitement with skepticism, you should seriously evaluate their place in your life.

Your environment matters more than you think. Who you listen to matters. Who you allow access to your dreams matters.

You’ve probably heard the quote your network is your net worth, and as overused as it sounds, it’s real. Not just financially, but mentally and spiritually. The people around you either expand you or contract you. There is no neutral. And outgrowing people is not betrayal. It’s alignment.

So let’s land the plane Brandon.

I don’t take constructive criticism from anyone who hasn’t constructed shit. Not because I think I know everything, but because I respect the process. I respect effort. I respect people who risk being seen. And I protect my vision too much to hand it over to someone who never had the courage to build one of their own.

And neither should you.

Hope this helps, 

-B