Dealing with The Haters.
How do you go about it?
Pulling back the curtain for a moment here to go inside what’s behind a normal social media post….
Emotionally there’s always an initial sting to upload a video and then the next day see there are 8 views for your effort.
1 Like and 1 Dislike.
On 8 Views.
8 views is admittedly disheartening…but it’s something!
Grateful for the 1 Like…that person is kind!
But what of the 1 Dislike?
And then you just have to laugh.
Who takes the time to just spread thumbs down all day?
If you go through my videos and posts, I’m always amazed by how many thumbs down there are out there.
I ask myself: Who are these secret haters?
The critics in the darkness, unwilling to comment and engage?
And then I think: You know, I’d rather be in the arena, sharing the content, expressing my thoughts, take it or leave it, hate it or love it, and then I am inclined to create even more!
As someone in the “spotlight” (meaning: 8 views in this case), I have learned to approach The Haters, The Hecklers, The Critics, from a 3rd Party Perspective, otherwise I will crawl into a corner and never create again.
I see it, I acknowledge it, sometimes I post about it for the baffled thought it elicits, like today, and then I keep The Promise to create some more.
1 Like to 1 Dislike.
#socialmedia #ThePromise
~
I posted this last week on social media – maybe you saw it? If not, let’s be friends!
Your Promise Prompt for This Week
* How are you handling the haters, whether on social media, in your office, in your life?
* Are you possibly, without even meaning to be, one of The Haters?
~
4 Tips to Dealing with The Haters for your own Promise of Mental Health:
1 – Laugh About It – I even like to make a Tweet about it as a way to make engagement more entertaining for me:
2 – Don’t Read The Comments – If at all possible, try not to read the comments, see the likes or dislikes, and if you do, as I did in this instance, move quickly to step 3
3 – View it from a 3rd Party Perspective – When bad things happen to us, about us, it’s under a microscope. But when it happens to someone else we say, “Oh, that’s interesting/that’s a shame/that’s too bad.” And we move on with our lives. That’s how we look at comments, and take criticism from the critics, and allows us to keep moving.
4 – Create Something Immediately – Don’t sit back and let the sting simmer. It can be crippling. You may never create again if you’re not careful. Allow the criticism to FUEL you. For example: I wrote this post! Now, I can move on.
BONUS Tip:
Doing the above gives you permission to Keep The Promise!
~ Jason Hewlett
* The Promise Institute Co-Founder
* Promise Culture Keynote Speaker
* Speaker Hall of Fame
Author of “The Promise To The One”
2 Responses
From an outside perspective, I wonder WHY you give any thought at all to the thumbs down, et al. From an inside perspective of one who also strives to share a bit of morning boost, a dose of positivity, and a healthy serving of convos on the myriad aspects of life, while also connecting with others through the regular use of poetry, I TOTALLY GET IT!!!
Views and likes, thumbs up and down, hearts and emoji smiles all set my soul aflutter!
I know there is no rational difference between a thumb and a heart, so why does my heart only take a tiny leap with the former but will soar like an eagle with the latter???
And don\’t get me started on the comments!
When someone puts forth the grueling effort required to make a comment on one of my posts, my brain starts prepping to experience a hyperactive lightspeed of emotions! One comment warms me up, 3-4 gets my heart racing, more than 7 and my heart is pounding like I\’m running the Kentucky Derby with Secretariat! When a post gets more than 10 comments I\’m frantically looking around for the AED paddle sticks and hoping someone knows what to do when shock sets in!
It\’s a whole other Space Jam universe when a negative comment shows up and fear clutches my breast! Don\’t say it, girl! Don\’t say how bad I write, how poor my grammar is, or how much you think I\’m a Karen.
The emotional rollercoaster we experience as writers, speakers, performers, and entertainers is so very real. So like you suggest, I try not to overanalyze and keep on creating. Who knows, one of these days I just might come up with something that garners me a heart, a comment, and share!
Les, always a joy to read your comments. And yes, putting any time into the haters is a tricky situation, and I’m still learning to worry about them less. Thank you for sharing another inspiring poem!