“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” ~ Mother Teresa

I love this quote.

Not only because of the powerful truth it contains.

But because of who wrote it.

Mother Teresa.

A saint.

When the Catholic Church began the process to canonize her, she had many supporters.

They recounted miracles and the wondrous work she had done to help the poor and suffering.

Certainly, a shoe in for sainthood.

But her critics thought otherwise.

They took aim at her life and gave countless reasons why she should not be canonized.

Seriously.

The embodiment of love walking among us here on earth.

And she was the target of naysayers.

I guess if Mother Teresa has critics, the rest of us don’t stand a chance.

The truth is the pursuit of any significant endeavor will be criticized.

There are those who want to be offended by something you do or say.

Some are jealous because you have the courage to do anything at all.

Some will find fault and give you every reason you will fail.

Most don’t care.

And when the dust settles, a few might cheer you on.

I wasted so many years, shed too many tears and cared far too long about what others think of me.

It’s a character flaw.

The need for approval.

It’s part of being human.

It’s also part of being insecure.

My mentor taught me that you can create your own confidence.

With every small victory.

With every single step in the direction of your dreams.

You gain momentum.

You gain strength.

You gain perspective.

And slowly you begin to realize that worrying about what other people think of you is a complete waste of time.

Why?

Because people don’t think about you that much at all.

It’s a blow to the ego.

But it’s true.

The small group of people in your orbit who love you no matter what.

They are the ones who think about you.

And for the record, they won’t always support your wild ideas and crazy dreams either.

They will still love you.

And you can love them back.

Then get back to work.

Silently.

The thing about pursuits and seeking validation is that we tend to talk too much to others about things they can’t possibly understand.

After all, it’s your dream.

You only need a few supporters.

Along with a mountain of resolve to do the work to bring your vision into reality.

To carve out your place in the world that does something that matters.

And one day, when the masses begin to take notice.

They will cheer for you and applaud your accomplishments.

And even at the top, when you’re holding the prize, there will be critics waiting for you.

That’s when you smile and wish them well.

For you know the truth.

To judge means you have no time to love.

And the greatest and highest pursuit of all is to love.

Maybe one day your critics will learn that too.

Kevin D. Brown is a branding and culture expert. He’s an award-winning motivational storyteller, bestselling author, and the creator of The Hero Effect®.