Overcoming Criticism: It was a crisp autumn afternoon when I first met Jacob. He was sitting alone in the corner of the campus library, scribbling in a worn-out notebook. His faded hoodie and beaten-up sneakers gave him the appearance of someone who had long given up trying to fit in. Yet there was something about his posture, the way he held the pen, that told a different story—a story that had yet to be written but was already brimming with resilience.
Jacob had a story like everyone else, but his was punctuated by a constant refrain: the relentless barking of dogs. And by “dogs,” I mean critics—those who laughed at him, doubted his abilities, and were quick to point out every stumble and mistake. In high school, Jacob had been the object of ridicule. His shy demeanor and quiet intensity were often mistaken for weakness. He wasn’t particularly athletic, wasn’t naturally outgoing, and wasn’t conventionally cool. This made him an easy target for the bullies who thrived on tearing others down to lift themselves up.
But Jacob had something they didn’t—a dream. And he wasn’t about to let the barking dogs deter him.
The Barking Begins
Jacob came from a small town where success was often measured by how well you conformed. In his community, going against the grain was seen as arrogance. Everyone expected him to follow a familiar path: finish school, get a job at the local factory, marry someone from the neighborhood, and live a life of quiet obedience. But Jacob had no intention of living a life that someone else had scripted for him.
His dream was to build his own tech startup—a lofty goal for someone with no money, no connections, and a lot of barking dogs surrounding him. People in his town scoffed at the idea.
“What makes you think you’re smart enough for that?”
“You’re wasting your time on a pipe dream!”
“Why don’t you just get a normal job like everyone else?”
Their words stung like arrows, each one designed to pierce his ambition. But what his critics didn’t know was that Jacob had been training for this all his life on How to succeed despite doubt . Every insult, every mocking laugh, and every dismissive sneer had become fuel for his fire. The more they barked, the more determined he became to succeed.
The First Leap of Faith
After high school, Jacob moved to the city to attend a modest community college. This was his first step into a world that seemed both exciting and terrifying. He has to Stay focused on success. The city was a sprawling jungle of opportunities and setbacks, but it also came with a chorus of new barking dogs. His classmates were quick to dismiss him because of his humble background. They bragged about their connections, their affluent parents, and the internships they’d secured. Jacob, by contrast, worked part-time at a grocery store and lived in a cramped apartment with three other roommates.
But while the dogs barked, Jacob kept his focus. He spent his nights working on his startup idea, teaching himself how to code from free online tutorials, and attending workshops on entrepreneurship. Whenever he felt discouraged, he would remind himself of an old saying his grandfather once shared with him: “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”
That phrase became his mantra. Every time someone doubted him, he would whisper it under his breath and move on. He knew that the noise around him was just that—noise. It had no bearing on his ability to reach his goal unless he let it.
The First Big Challenge
After two years of juggling school, work, and his startup, Jacob had made significant progress. His app—a platform designed to help small businesses manage their customer interactions—was nearly ready for launch. All he needed was funding. With shaky hands and a heart full of hope, he applied for a grant aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs.
For weeks, he waited for a response, checking his email obsessively. Then, finally, the message arrived. He opened it, only to find a polite but firm rejection. His heart sank. To make matters worse, people in his life were quick to bark once again.
“I told you this would happen.”
“You really thought they’d give money to someone like you?”
“You’re not cut out for this, just give up.”
For a moment, Jacob considered doing just that. Maybe everyone was right. Maybe he wasn’t good enough, smart enough, or capable enough. But then he remembered all the late nights, the sacrifices, and the passion that had driven him this far. Giving up would mean proving the barking dogs right, and he refused to let that happen.
Jacob picked himself up and applied for another grant. And then another. And another. Each time, the barking grew louder he promised to himself to Ignore negative people. But Jacob kept moving forward, using every rejection as a learning experience. He tweaked his pitch, improved his app, and sought out mentors who could guide him.
When The Tide Turned
Eventually, his persistence paid off. He secured a small grant from a local tech incubator, enough to fund the launch of his app. It wasn’t a huge sum of money, but it was enough to give him the break he needed. He launched his platform with a small group of clients, mostly mom-and-pop shops in his neighborhood. The app worked, and word began to spread.
Soon, the barking changed. The same people who had laughed at him, who had told him he wasn’t cut out for success, were now asking him for advice. They marveled at how he had built something from nothing, conveniently forgetting how they had doubted him all along.
Jacob had learned a valuable lesson: The more the dogs bark, the closer you are to something worth pursuing. The barking was never about him; it was about their own insecurities, their own fear of chasing their dreams. He realized that most people aren’t brave enough to step outside the lines society has drawn for them. So when they see someone doing just that, their instinct is to tear them down, to bark as loudly as possible in the hopes that the person will retreat into the safety of conformity.
But Jacob hadn’t retreated. He had moved forward, one step at a time, blocking out the noise and focusing on his journey.
The Success They Never Saw Coming
By the time Jacob turned 25, his startup had grown beyond his wildest dreams. He secured more funding, expanded his platform, and hired a small but dedicated team. His app was now being used by hundreds of small businesses across the country, and he was in talks with investors for even bigger partnerships.
The barking had almost entirely stopped. Those who had doubted him were now silent, replaced by new voices—those of admiration, respect, and even envy. But Jacob didn’t care much for the praise, just as he hadn’t let the criticism affect him. He understood now that both were just different forms of barking. Praise could be as distracting as criticism if he allowed it to be.
Jacob’s success wasn’t just about the app or the money he made. It was about the journey, the internal transformation that had occurred along the way. He had learned to lift himself up, no matter how many dogs were barking at him. He had learned that the opinions of others, whether positive or negative, had no bearing on his self-worth or his ability to succeed.
The Lesson for All of Us
There are so many Motivational success stories and Jacob’s story is a reminder that the world will always be full of barking dogs—people who doubt you, criticize you, and try to pull you down. But their noise doesn’t define you. The only thing that defines you is how you respond. Will you let the barking dogs stop you in your tracks, or will you lift yourself up and keep moving forward?
In the end, it’s not the barking that matters. It’s the caravan that keeps moving, the journey that continues despite the noise. So lift yourself up, keep going, and remember—the more they bark, the closer you are to something worth fighting for.
Jacob’s journey wasn’t easy, and neither will yours be. But if you learn to tune out the barking and focus on your path, success will come—not because the barking stopped, but because you kept moving despite it.
