Don’t read the comments. It’s the cardinal rule of blogging.
Bad things happen when you read the comments. It’s like going down the alley in a horror movie. Nothing good will come of it. Sometimes it can be hard to resist the tantalizing allure of feedback. Curiosity kills the cat. You send your words out into the universe and you wonder how they are doing. So you check up on them and take a peek. The following is a musical rendition of the emotional stages of reading the comments.
“I’m not ready to make nice, I’m not ready to back down, I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go round and round and round. It’s too late to make it right, I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell, Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should”
Sometimes people do crazy things when they come across a dissenting opinion. They react inappropriately. They make crazy threats. They demand an apology. You read their words, and you aren’t sorry. Not one little bit. Channel your inner Natalie Maines and sleep like a baby, with no regrets.
“Someday I’ll be living in a big ol’ city and all you’re ever gonna be is mean. Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me and all you’re ever gonna be is mean. Why you gotta be so mean?”
Sometimes people are just mean. Eventually you will be wildly successful. Eventually you will read their mean comments from your yacht, while someone feeds you grapes.
“Who cares if you disagree? You are not me. Who made you king of anything? So you dare tell me who to be. Who died and made you king of anything?”
Sometimes you have to consider if this person’s opinion really matters. Do they have some insight that makes their opinion more valid than yours? Is it going to change anything? Are they the king of anything? It may be time to agree to disagree.
“’Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, I shake it off, I shake it off.”
Sometimes you have to shake it off. Ultimately, people are going to do what they are going to do. They will comment and be jerks. You can let that get to you or you can shake it off. Shake it off!
“You can be amazing. You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug. You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love. Or you can start speaking up. Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do when they settle ‘neath your skin. Kept on the inside and no sunlight sometimes a shadow wins but I wonder what would happen if you say what you wanna say and let the words fall out. Honestly I wanna see you be brave.”
Sometimes negative comments can be demoralizing and make you want to quit. Don’t quit. Keep speaking your truth. Don’t let the darkness win. Keep shining your light. Be brave.
