Dealing with criticism

There are plenty of people out there who will not like what you have written. One fine day when you turn to your blog, you may find a barrage of negative comments. Your immediate reaction (especially if you’re not good at taking criticism) will be to get frustrated. You might even feel like giving up or maybe you will start plotting your revenge against those foul beings who have bad-mouthed your precious blog posts.
The fact of the matter is that you need to be able to handle criticism. It exists in everyday life, and if you haven’t learnt to deal with it, you need to start right away. If you don’t deal with criticism positively, it could lead to your downfall. Here are a few ways that will help you deal with criticism:
•    Stop taking criticism so seriously! There have been no casualties (only your ego is wounded), so lighten up a little bit. If you want people to read your blog, you have to expect some amount of negative attention.

•    A lot of people will not even understand what you are trying to say through your blog. These are the people who are most likely to post negative comments on your blog. Then there’s always the ‘oppressed’, who are constantly looking for a means to release their anger. They see your blog, and they spew abuse. So, at the end of the day, how does it even matter? This is not your target audience anyway, right?

•    Criticism can be a very good driving force if you’d only let it be that way. Let criticism move you forward to win instead of letting it hold you back! Also, there may be some amount of truth in criticism, so you could always learn from it. See what ideas you can gather, and put them to good use.

•    Everyone is entitled to an opinion. You may have a different way of thinking when compared to the person who has just criticised your blog post. So, if someone criticises your writing, it only means that he or she is looking at it in a different light.

•    If you are seeking revenge on those hostile people who abused your blog, forget about it! Learn to let go.  Blowing your fuse is not going to do you any good. Learn to accept criticism with grace, and it’ll only do you a whole lot of good!

So, take heed of the above, and you will surely be better equipped to deal with criticism.