Written by: Christine Hansen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As soon as you start owning what you believe in, people start having opinions. It’s just how it is. The problem is: One negative feedback can take over your world. But everyone has an opinion. So, how do you deal with it?
For me, there is no plan B. I want to keep going. When you’re just starting out (because you build up your tolerance over time) one thing that can help is sharing your experience. It’s difficult for people to disagree with your personal experience. You know what’s working for you and why you’re doing it.
Don’t take stuff personally, what other people say reflects them, not you. Stuff might be happening in their life; something might have triggered them…
It takes a lot of courage to show up online and to share; the mean commenters are not doing that, they are hiding.
A while back, when I started my very first business, I was in a national newspaper in Luxembourg. It was a huge one-page spread with a huge image. There was a shitstorm when that was published. Bashing me about damaging children. I was 3 weeks into opening my business and super vulnerable. There was one person in particular who was really nasty slagging off my looks (how mature right? *eyeroll*). Then, a few weeks later, I met her in person. It was so awkward; we both knew who the other was – and guess what, she pretended not to see me.
You can always choose whether to be negative or positive. So, I didn’t go up to her and confront her. But: it was cathartic.
People who hurt, hurt others.
A good strategy for me is this. Negative comments go straight to the gut, right? Visualize the hook of hate people are throwing into your gut. Visualize detaching the hook and sending it to wherever you want … a place of peace, love, God, whatever you believe in.
Talk about it to people you trust. Share it and that will make it seem less of a big deal.
Keep track of your wins. When people say nice things, take a moment to absorb it, to save it. When you get a negative comment, go back to the positives.
Let yourself feel it, and then let it go.
Choose your battles wisely.
This is an excerpt from my book We Mean Business – The practical guide for entrepreneurs, coaches and small business to build your brand and grow your business online
Christine Hansen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Christine Hansen is an award-winning business coach & consultant for online entrepreneurs who want to embrace their inner lazy, profit like a pro, and add philanthropist to their list of credentials—without ever undercharging or feeling like they have to be anyone but themselves again.
She combines hardcore strategy with lush personal development so that entrepreneurs can build and scale businesses that are still soul-aligned all the way.
With 10+ years as a sought-after TedX France and keynote speaker, Christine’s work is featured in Forbes, Business Insider, National Geographic, and more.
Having built two successful online businesses herself, Christine found out the hard way—like losing money on sketchy business investments and ruined “put your damn laptop away!” vacation moments—that most entrepreneurs are closer to burnout than they are to reaching 6-figures. (And they’re still worrying, “Am I overcharging?!”)
Christine is famous for sharing cautionary tales from the trenches, tell-it-like-it-is tips, her all-time go-to (no-brainer) tech tools she uses to get twice as much done in half the time, and gushing her best secrets to help you bust past your blind spots, be true to yourself, and breakthrough to 6-figures in under a year...all while donating to charity, taking vacations every 6 weeks, and spoiling yourself with something nice on a very regular basis.
