When you’re not putting yourself out there, you’re rejecting yourself by default. — Jia Jiang

There is always risk when putting yourself out there, when striving to make your mark. There will always be someone ready to criticize.

With blogging or any kind of writing, whether it be on a social network or your own website, there will always be that one person who can’t wait to knock you down with a negative comment. They usually have no facts to back themselves up, or they are just voicing their own unhappy opinions. Either way, their negativity says more about them than it does you.

Oftentimes people will hide behind the anonymity of an online handle. What are they risking? Nothing. They are not the type of people who are willing to take a chance at trying something.

I am adamant on women not hiding. Women are 51% of the U.S. population according to the last census. Remember that. Women are the majority in this country. Yet we act as if we are a minority.

Use your voice. Develop the courage to put yourself out there. The alternative is that you may never accomplish anything…like the hateful commenters.

Know that when you do, people can be wonderful and people can be really mean. You can give your attention and focus to the negative, which will cause you to contract and pull back. Or you can place your attention where people love you. Don’t waste time and energy on the haters. There are plenty of people who love you and they are the ones who deserve your attention and what you have to offer.

The more you love and respect and believe in yourself, the less the haters will impact you. Yes, mean comments can be hurtful, and they are difficult to ignore. But it’s an opportunity for you to fall deeper in love with yourself and your message.

Haters are damaged. If you think about it they must be really hurting to view the world from that perspective.

You can choose to let the haters pull you down or you can choose to keep going about your business. Secretly those people admire you for bravely putting yourself out there. They wish they could be so bold. They are secretly being inspired by you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be on your site. I encourage you to keep going for it. Feel the discomfort and keep moving forward.

Without risks, there are no accomplishments. It is we, the risk-takers, who are leading the world. Not the haters, not the uninspired, not the bored, not the mean-spirited. It is we precious few, the dreamers, who dare to take action and are brave enough to put our ideas on a page. Keep putting yourself out there. Look back, not in anger, but in compassion. And look forward with an open heart.