Everyone HATES me... but I'm OKAY with that

Hi all,

This is my followup regarding the personal passion post by Karen. That post was timely indeed because of discussions that were occurring in the other niche I frequent, blogging and Internet Marketing.

In that particular discussion, a guest blogger was being pounced upon by a concentrated group of idjuts who were trying to cloud the issues by attacking his character instead of his content. Now, this particular guest blogger started wondering how he could appease the folks who didn't like his writing and what MORE he could do to make everyone happy and and and....

And....basically giving control of himself OVER to a bunch of jerks.

Can you imagine? Talk about self-defeatist!

Imagine my joy today when I read this fantastic gem:

5 Reasons To Smile When You Get A Negative Blog Comment

Truly...the insights shared are magnificent and I urge everyone to both read AND internalize them. Basically, the gist is...rejoice when you get negative blog comments, because it shows the following about your character and maturity (read the article to see the specific points).

Anywhos! Back at the topic at hand. As recruiters are moving and more into social networking and the like, the fact is....we'll encounter more and more individuals whom we just cannot please, no matter how adroitly we might bend over backwards and upsidedown.

The key, I firmly believe, is to recognize that we ALL have fantastic gifts to offer. True, there will always be life-forms akin to shower mold who take pleasure at shouting us down, crushing our ideas, trying to stifle our beliefs....but guess what?

That's okay.

We cannot control what others say or what others do...but we CAN control how we CHOOSE to react. And it's our reactions that showcase just how professional (or not) we truly are.

You want to hate me? Thank you for your input and I wish you the best of success!

You want to network with me? Wonderful! Let's see how we can benefit each other!

You want to slam the character of my friends/colleagues/etc.? I cannot stop you, but I sure as heck can jump to their defense....so don't complain when I do just that.

How we walk the walk we talk will, in the end, show the world just what we're made of.

And you can take THAT to the bank.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Barbara Ling on October 28, 2009 at 7:16pm

@Maren Hogan - My mom used to emphasize something quite similar - because my qualities tended towards the empathy/compassion/etc. side, she'd ask, well then, given how you treat others....you're 99.983% ahead of the game!

I'm passing that on to my kids.

@Rayanne - Walking the walk is key. I think THAT is how you demonstrate authenticity.

@KarenM - My pleasure!

@Sandra McCartt - Thanks for your kind words. I tell my kids that Whining Doesn't Work...and whoever whines quickly finds themselves with twice the consequences they can enjoy (at no extra cost! :) ).

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Permalink Reply by Fran Hogan on October 28, 2009 at 7:35pm

Great post Barbara and thanks for the link to Diane Adams blog. She is as straight a thinker as you are.

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Permalink Reply by Lesa Caskey on October 29, 2009 at 12:46pm

Okay with that, indeed. Now, I've never been slammed in any forum, but I have had my fair share of brush-offs and odd looks (mostly from men who don't think women should be opinionated or have rad short hair).
What I think as I walk away with my head held quite high is "that's okay, you have to be you forever and I get to have the awesome experience of being me every single day". It really does make me feel better and my kids dig it too.
Those of us getting picked on by obnoxious folks who have nothing better to do than puke up their toxins all over other people are generally the type of people who are open to new opportunities and experiences. Our openness threatens those who live their lives afraid of change and threatened by true ambition. The sad truth is that they don't like themselves very much at all. If I were to lower myself enough to respond to them directly I would feel like I was kicking someone who is already down. Those poor schleps have to be themselves forever, and that's punishment enough in my book.

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Permalink Reply by Darren Scotland on October 29, 2009 at 1:34pm

Nice post Barbara - I thought the 5 reasons post was well worth a read too.

It's easy to get down on yourself in a profession when you hear "not interested" so often so it good to read that other people go through it too and how they deal with it.