I’ve been thinking about negative feedback lately, and found some very helpful principles.

Tim Ferriss gave a short keynote (video) at The NextWeb 2010 in Amsterdam on how to deal with haters (and their negative feedback). A part of that keynote was dedicated on 7 principles that help you deal with negative feedback (they were originally published on Mashable by Amy-Mae Elliot).

1. It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do.
2. 10% of people will find a way to take anything personally. Expect it.
3. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” (Colin Powell)
4. “If you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative.” (Scott Boras)
5. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” (Epictetus)
6. “Living well is the best revenge.” (George Herbert)
7. Keep calm and carry on. Focus on impact, not approval.

The principles were originally meant as a (mental) response to the commenters on Tim’s blogposts (somewhere between 200 and 2000 comments a post) and overall critiques he received on his book, but I think they are worth a thought as well for negative feedback you receive in your personal or business life.

Note: I’ve been writing a lot on my Dutch blog about the ideas and principles of Stephen Covey, David Allen and Tim Ferriss. If you’re into GTD and Lifehacking, I would recommend you to read them as well.

Anyway: keep calm and carry on.