The Detractor Factor

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Originally uploaded by Beard Papa

• When the wheel was invented, I am sure there was at least one person who said they liked things the old way.
  
• When Jason Hammel made the decision to forgo medical school, opting instead to pursue a musical career as one half of the band Mates of State (his wife, Kori Gardner is the other half), I'm willing to bet there were a few people who raised their eyebrows.
  
• When Winston Churchill began to warn of possible Nazi aggression in light of their military buildup, we know that many thought him insane and a political liability.
  
• When Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented sliced bread, there may have been very little invented that was greater, but I am positive there were those who thought it lazy to purchase bread already sliced.

People tend to like things the old way. People have a tendency to question sudden career changes. Especially if you were originally going to medical school. People don't respond well to warnings and cautionary tales. People sometimes take a little while to catch on. People can sometimes be detractors.

They all have their good reasons for being a detractor. Fear. Lack of understanding. Lack of a vision for the future. You name it, detractors can have it.

So what is to be done with detractors?

Whatever your cause, decision, or invention, expect detractors. Expect them, but do not cater to them. If everyone catered to the detractors, who's to say we wouldn't be driving on square blocks?