Damn I feed off that shit too! What I noticed about myself is that I would try so much harder when people tell me I can't do it, I am hell bent on proving them wrong. The problem is that much of my life people have been nice to me......I need more assholes in my life....LOL
At a high level I feel like we should be no more influence by those who say we're right than wrong. In a way, being driven to prove people wrong is being controlled by them. Because sometimes they may be correct, and our best bet would be to change strategies, and sticking to our guns just to prove them wrong will hold us back.
I agree. At the end of the day you still have to be pragmatic and intellectually honest to yourself. But if the critique is coming from someone who only heard your concept for the first time or that he/she has no domain expertise in the industry you're trying to get into then you should not accept it too easily. There is always a fine line between being stubborn and having dogged determination.....