While I'd love to say that you'll never receive a piece of negative feedback once you start working for yourself, I'd be remiss in leading you down the garden path… as Jim Rohn once said, “There are only 9 nasty people in the world… they just move around a lot!”

At some point, you're going to have to deal with someone whose view of your project work, of what you do or of the business you're trying to run, is less than ideal. In fact, let's refer to them as what they really are, a ‘hater'…

And if you want to deal with them in the most appropriate, grown-up manner, follow the strategies below 🙂

5 Ways of Dealing with Haters

#1: Crack a joke

But make sure you do this inside your head, DO NOT voice this joke to the actual hater… do that and you'll see your reputation go down the gurgler.

I'm a fan of “your mamma” jokes, but often feel guilty after I think about the hater in that context. Allow yourself 10 seconds to laugh at your joke, then move on!

#2: Think of 10 comebacks

Have an imaginary conversation with yourself about the comebacks you're gonna deliver the hater. Let them really have it, revel in how good it feels to get that all off your chest, and if you're at home alone, walk around the house delivering your one-liners at the top of your voice! Feels good, right?

#3: Make stuff up

I'm talking petty stuff here… Hater's hair is fugly, hater's clothing is so 80's, etc, etc. The sillier it is, the better you'll feel 🙂

#4: Feign indifference

You don't even care what hater said. Why would you? You're awesome, your work is perfect and hater is just saying this stuff because they feel incompetent in your presence. It's plain to see that you're the better person here and that hater is just being a duffus.

#5: Create a GIF

Using an image of your hater or a troll head, create a awesome meme or GIF that portrays them in a really silly way… here's one I prepared earlier:

[images style=”2″ image=”http%3A%2F%2Fhustleandgroove.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F11%2Ftrolling-101.jpg” width=”450″ align=”center” top_margin=”0″ full_width=”Y”]

Now, while the majority of these (ok all of them) aren't really helpful for properly dealing with negative feedback or nasty comments on your blog, they will make you laugh, which is often what we need when we receive a negative comment.

The best way to deal with negative feedback or comments is to simply ignore them, particularly if they are unfounded. There are some really nasty and bored people in the world, and sometimes they come across your work and decide they'll add their 2 cents worth to something they know nothing about.

Now, if the feedback is constructive, that's different and a little easier to swallow. Address what needs to be addressed and then move on.

How you deal with this type of feedback largely depends on how you see the world. Glass half-full or overflowing, this is just gonna roll of your back. If you're a little more pessimistic, then definitely try one of the strategies outlined above!

Have you ever had to deal with negative feedback or a nasty comment on your blog? How did you deal with it? Leave your tips on the comments below!

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Lise Cartwright
Lise Cartwright

Founder of Hustle & Groove and your creative business strategist. If you want to get notified of new posts just like the ones you see here, then make sure you join the awesome H & G community — Join Now!

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