How to Keep Blogging, Even When You Feel Criticized, Ignored or Rejected

“When someone hurls an insult at you, try to divide it by three before letting it in. And conversely when a compliment comes, multiply by three and repeat the words to yourself before letting that in too.” – Andrea J. Lee

It takes courage to put yourself out there, whether you’re singing on a stage, speaking in front of a group or posting your thoughts, suggestions and opinions on a blog.

Blogging has positive repercussions for your business, regardless of whether anyone is even reading it (Mark Schaefer has 10 examples).

But what if they throw tomatoes?

If you’re like most of my readers, you’re probably not blogging about particularly controversial subjects. That being said, the most peaceful people can sometimes end up in the middle of a public, web-based disagreement.

And with more of you stepping up as thought leaders, you never know when you might ruffle some feathers (for some comic relief on this topic, my friend Sue Johnston pointed out this blog commenting policy).

The critic inside

As any creative artist will tell you, having peaceful skies in your outside world doesn’t necessarily make the creative process of blogging any easier. We can turn silence (e.g., a lack of comments or social media replies) into jeers (“no one likes me”), or inaction (e.g., low or no response to an offer) into rejection (“no one wants what I’m offering”).

10 tools for dealing with criticism and rejection

1. Be open. You may be hoping for a specific response to your work and be disappointed when that doesn’t materialize. What if this “failure” is leading the way to something better? As I read once in Cheryl Richardson’s newsletter, “Any rejection is God’s protection.”

2. Be consistent. Keep blogging, week after week, doing the brainstorming, drafting, writing and editing that will help you stay connected with your readers. Some posts will make a big splash and others may not. Stay the course and keep things in perspective. You’re in this for the long haul.

3. Be focused. Always be mindful of your overall goal to provide valuable information and deepen your relationships with clients and prospective clients. That will help you focus on the big picture and not get tripped up by each bump in the road along the way.

4. Be resilient. Remember that your sense of self-worth comes from inside of you. When you’re able to feel confident, regardless of what you hear from external sources, you’ll bounce back much more easily from any negative feedback that you may get.

5. Be positive. Focus your attention on the positive and you’ll attract more of it. This is the premise of the “Law of Attraction,” and I’ve certainly seen it work in my own life. Really hear the positive feedback you receive and replay it over in your mind whenever you need to. (Psst – I look through these tweets whenever I need a boost.)

6. Be clear. Approach constructive feedback with an objective perspective, not muddled with thoughts from your own inner critic. Listen to what your readers want so you can provide that and get better responses the next time.

7. Be grateful. Be gracious to your critics, accept all of the feedback you receive, sit quietly and let it sink in. Be grateful to be blogging – to have gotten past the fear and other roadblocks to creativity. Be grateful for the opportunity to have your work seen and heard. Some never take that chance.

8. Be responsive. Decide consciously what to do with feedback before responding, instead of reacting with the first thought or words that come to mind.

9. Be selective. Once you’ve decided what to do with the feedback, be selective and willing to let go of any hurtful feedback. This usually doesn’t have anything to do with you anyway; it’s a reflection of that person’s own happiness, state of mind and comfort with themselves.

10. Be loving. Be loving of your critic and ESPECIALLY of yourself. Plan some self-care treats for each and every time you publish a new piece of work. Regardless of the outcome, you deserve it!

The above points were adapted from: 10 Tools for Dealing With Criticism and Rejection. I wrote it for songwriters and other artists who submit work for contests or auditions and don’t always get the results they hoped for.

I’ll be examining the links between creativity and blogging on June 9th and July 14th on our next two Content Mastery Action Day presentation calls. I hope you can join us!