People will do that. Honestly, it probably won't stop there. People will look at you when you're on the rise, and decide to try and knock you over. You have three options: 1) Let them, 2) Stop them, or 3) Knock them over first. Usually, you wanna go for two, though sometimes three may be better for the long term. In simpler words: Don't let the haters have their way. You gotta be a bushwhacker. In exploration, bushwhackers are people who cut a path through an area where none exists, often literally cutting through bush and bramble when the preexisting road is too convoluted or no direct path is present. You gotta be a bushwhacker - cut through the bush, and make a path straight for your goals. I believe in you. But you also have to believe in yourself.