You read that right. Yes, seriously. Tell your haters, “thank you.” Thank them for doubting you. Thank them for not having faith in you. Thank them for smirking at the designs on the gym clothing you wear while working out. Thank them for making you work 5% harder, run 10% faster, and maybe even lift 15% heavier. Call it spite, call it extrinsic motivation, call it whatever the hell you want. Just make sure you also call it a success.
JekyllHyde founder and owner Tim VanDeusen is no stranger to taking doubt and turning it into drive.
“I’m 5’6. In the gym, the rower and the bike do not favor short people. But there are no excuses in the game of fitness. Either get better at it or lose. Being short might be a reason I start at a disadvantage to taller people, but staying bad at something is only a result of me not improving. I don’t beat myself up over a bad score. I take note of it, and I return next time with the simple goal of improving by 1."
Our Haters motivational shirt, along with most of our fitness apparel, was born from Tim’s brain and personal experiences.
"The first year or so of Jekyllhyde was fueled by two things; Hate and Desperation. Desperate not to go back to the 9-5 corporate life, and hate for all the people that said I couldn't make it; the ones that smiled to my face and then talked behind my back or laughed when I explained the idea of the company. I hated it to the core, it made me physically upset when I thought about it.”
Back then, Tim scribbled the mantra behind the Haters shirt on blank shipping labels and stuck them around his house. Never underestimate the power of words; when you have a blunt reminder quite literally in front of you wherever you go, it’s pretty hard to ignore. Eventually, that mantra sunk in. Rather than ignoring your haters, why not push yourself to be inspired by them?
“I don't choose what motivates me, but I'm sure as hell going to use it. So, to all the haters then, now and in the future, thank you. You've helped build this success story. No one really believes you can; that's why you have to.”
Now, we’ve crafted a badass workout shirt that instills this mantra into every aspect of your day. Wear it with pride, and above all, don’t forget to thank your haters.