The Founder's 3-Filter Method
How to Process Negativity and Protect Your Focus
As a creator or entrepreneur, you will face a constant stream of opinions and negativity. Your success depends on your ability to filter it effectively. Before you react or even engage, run the comment, feedback, or situation through these three filters.
Filter 1: The Source Filter
"Does the person giving this feedback have my best interests at heart, OR have they achieved what I am trying to achieve?"
This filter immediately separates constructive criticism from unqualified noise.
- Passes: The feedback comes from a mentor, a respected peer, or a customer with a valid point. → Proceed to Filter 2.
- Fails: The feedback comes from an anonymous troll, a jealous competitor, or someone who doesn't understand your vision. → Action: IGNORE. Do not proceed. This is not worth your energy.
Filter 2: The Specificity Filter
"Is this feedback specific and actionable, or is it a vague, emotional attack?"
This filter separates helpful critique from useless insults.
- Passes: The feedback is specific. "The checkout process was confusing on this page," or "The audio quality dropped at the 2-minute mark." → Proceed to Filter 3.
- Fails: The feedback is vague. "Your idea is stupid," or "I don't like your content." → Action: IGNORE. This is an opinion, not feedback. It offers no path for improvement.
Filter 3: The Alignment Filter
"Does acting on this feedback align with my core vision, values, and goals?"
This is the final and most important check. Not all valid feedback is relevant to you.
- Passes: The feedback, while maybe hard to hear, points out a blind spot that is hindering your progress toward your stated goals. → Action: CONSIDER & ACT. Thank the person and integrate the lesson.
- Fails: The feedback is valid but would take you in a direction you don't want to go. (e.g., "You should add this feature," when your goal is to keep your product simple.) → Action: ACKNOWLEDGE & DISCARD. Thank the person for their input, but respectfully choose not to act on it.
Your New Default
By using this method, "Ignore" becomes your default setting. You only spend precious mental energy on the tiny fraction of feedback that passes all three filters. This is how you protect your peace and accelerate your progress.