I recently wrote a piece that brought out the haters. I spent too long of an amount of time analyzing that piece and all the “feedback” it received afterward. Here’s what I learned and what I want you to do when you finally write the piece people hate.
1. Get excited. You heard me! Get excited, because you’re finally standing for something you believe in and finally expressing your unique voice in a way that’s moving people. You won’t always move people in the ways you expect. Shaking things up in someone’s mind isn’t a bad thing – it’s a game changer.
2. Get mindful. If and when you read the comments on your thing that trigger your tiny little girl into a frenzied state of unworthiness, stop right there and breathe. Get into your body and out of your mind where the inner critic is fierce. Practice your awareness.
3. Take it as an opportunity. This is just another opportunity to help you heal what’s still triggering you. So after you breathe a bit, reflect on why this is still bothering you. What’s true about what the person said? What tiny bit of self-worth do you still need to recover? Take your journal out and do some Feng Shui on that shit.
4. Go for deeper understanding. The deeper layer here is letting this remind you that everyone operates from their own unique filter and life experience. One person hates what another loves. Why do you tend to focus on the hate? When you wake up to what you’re doing you have a choice which one to put your time, attention and energy on. Pick the love.
5. Stay brave. After I wrote that piece it took me a while to get over it. I could have been writing brilliant things during that time, but instead I was wasting it in a desperate pool of anxiety, and not writing. I let my thoughts get the best of me and stopped up the thing I love to do the most. When your writing becomes powerful enough to move people, you must stay brave and continue your good work in the world. It’s through that brave expression that we’ll change the way people think, believe, behave and heal.
Curious about what I wrote? You can read it HERE. And by the way, not only did that piece bring out the haters, it brought everyone out – the lovers too. I had close to 500,000 views on that piece and every time I go back to it I realize both the lovers and the haters continue to comment. What is it about that piece that had people so stirred? Not totally sure, but it continues to be a learning process for me.
As long as I stay in a learner’s frame of mind I do okay. As soon as I add my story to the gut feeling I get when I read the negative comments, I’m doomed to being paralyzed by fear again. I have to remind myself that writing is a momentary snapshot of an opinion I have – it’s not necessarily set in stone. And it doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind.
When you’re afraid to write because you’ll be wrong, sit back and think about that a moment. What scares you about someone telling you you’re wrong, stupid, egotistic (that was the latest from the article) or outright full of shit? Who sets the rules you live by about what’s right? Why are you operating from someone else’s set of rules?
Go write your stuff. Be brave. Get a conversation started. It’s okay to stir people up and there’s nothing right or wrong about your opinion. It’s yours. That’s it.
Want some mojo for your writing endeavors? The next Writing for Warrior Healing course starts in May. You can read about it HERE. I’ll help you heal the shit that keeps you from writing, creating and running the business you have like the warrior goddess you are.
Laura Probert, MPT is a holistic physical therapist, published author, inspirational teacher, poet, and black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She’s serious about integrating mind, body and soul as a journey to passion and power and it’s her mission to show you how. You can find her writing featured in places like The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Best Self Magazine, The Wellness Universe, Wild Sister Magazine, PersonalGrowth.com, Tiny Buddha and The Elephant Journal. Find her books and programs at www.LauraProbert.com and www.facebook.com/kickasswarriorgoddess
