NOTE! If you enjoy this post, please feel free to share and twitter it with the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/33zogn . Thanks, I appreciate it!

It never fails to astound me!  I can draw parallels regarding blogging to just about any event that happens to me!

Take yesterday….at adult karate sparring.  Now, I adore sparring - there’s something about gearing up with a chest protector, helmet, hand/foot pads, etc., and taking one person after person; after 8 hours of typing in front of a computer, it’s a great stress relaxer!   

So there I was; ’twas my second day back from  my insane work pace of the last 4 weeks.  Over the weekend, mind you, I had invested in awesomely magnificent new headgear (that actually allowed me to use my peripheral vision!  What a concept to actually SEE the fist flying at your face!), and had been anticipating the class all day.

Now, let me pause here and give a wee bit of background.  The instructors for the adult sparring class are truly tremendous fighters; were they to go full force, going against them (for me) is like watching a cupcake being mown over by a speeding tractor trailer.  They always modify their strength/techniques for the student in question, however, and generally everyone stays on their feet.

BUT NOT ME!  Oh no, your’s truly wanted to be pushed past her known boundaries, so in the middle of sparring I yelled at the sensei, go on, HIT ME!

This morning, I was still chuckling ruefully over what happened next.

Being a gentleman and a scholar, said sensei unleashed a front kick that:

• First: it connected with my chest protector
• Then: As said kick was slightly angled up, my feet literally left the ground
• And it closed with: I went flying backwards and landed on my back (missed the mat, ended up on the carpeted area, and now have a lovely carpet burn on my elbow)

Talk about character building!  For the rest of my life, I will always have a mental image of seeing the room rapidly moving backwards.  :)  

But here’s the awesomely good news - I got right back up and was ready to go at it again.  I had no desire to give up, no desire to back away; I wanted back in and I wanted back in NOW!  After class, I thanked the sensei and made a promise to myself that I’ll keep at it UNTIL I can actually defend myself with skills greater than a frosted pastry product.

What a truly glorious experience was yesterday’s class!  There’s something about testing yourself past the point of what you think you can endure…and then demanding more.  It’s truly character-building.

And that brings me to the topic of today’s post - what being kicked through the air taught me about blogging. 

Tell me now…..

Have you ever been attacked online? 

If so….

What has your response been? 

Have you cowered back and rushed towards the safety of placating whomever was beating you up online…or did you take a stand and defend yourself? 

Perhaps you did all of the above?

There’s a super post over at Men With Pens that discusses something quite similar.  The title is Get Your Nose Out of the Air and describes how one author started a contest for designing his book cover, but had to cancel because of all the nastiness that ensued.  To wit:

…Jonathan Fields is publishing his upcoming book with Random House. He thought it might be nice to hold a contest for the book cover design. He never imagined he’d be raked over hot coals for doing so.

Freelance Switch posted the rules to Jonathan’s contest on their blog. Most of their readers are designers. The admin at FS thought it was a nice opportunity.

Well, readers were outraged. They bashed, they flamed, they stuck their noses in the air. They claimed Jonathan and FS were promoting spec work. They were insulted and offended. They raged. They demanded that FS recant their position and remove the posting.

Jonathan was faster. He canceled his contest. And I think that’s a bloody shame….MORE….

If you get a chance, do read about it - it’s a fascinating insight into some people’s insecurities and how a mob mentality can ruin a truly great idea. 

When you’re attacked by readers for your writing, you have several choices available to you.  You can:

• Take the high road and ignore them.  After all, tomorrow is another day.
• Debate them.  It will probably generate tons of traffic.
• Apologize to them.  It will make them feel superior to you.

There’s probably lots other things you can do too.  :)  But I ask you to consider:

• Do you want to give power over yourself to online jerks?
• Do you want to be told what to write or what to say?

or…..

• Do you want to stagger back up from being kicked across the room and say, is that all you can throw?

Hmmm?  Remember - this is the Internet.  People will take on all sorts of personas online…and communicate in ways they’d never dare if they were face to face with an individual.  You, on the other hand..have the choice of taking it personally…or not.

I’m not the only person writing about this, of course (well, being kicked across the room, maybe yes  :)  ): other articles include:

• Dealing with the Not Trolls
• What to do when your blog is attacked
• Dealing with negative comments -A psychological approach
• Dealing with Negative Criticism of Your Blog
• Dealing with negative comments
• How to Deal with Negative Blog Posts
• Ignore ‘em or Embrace ‘em? How to Handle Negative Blog Comments

But I’ll tell you, one thing being kicked across the room has taught me about life in general - when you’re lying on the ground, the only one who has the power to get yourself back up….is YOU.  Nobody else will do it for you.

How do you deal with negative comments?  Do feel free to share below.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

#BEGIN highlights of this blog writing post:

Beginners blogging tips: You don’t have to take things personally when negative comments are posted.

Intermediate and/or Advanced blogging tips:  You can choose to engage or step back; you need to analyze the individual situation and determine what would work best for you.

#END highlights of this blog writing post

ps - want to see what karate sparring gear looks like?

Taekwondo Sparring Gear Size Youth Medium

golden sparring gear size is for ages 5-8

GIRLS NEW SPARRING GEAR 5pc Set Karate Pads Pink

Macho Sparring Gear 5pc Dyna Set Karate TaeKwonDo - ChM

Macho Sparring Gear 5pc Dyna Set Karate TaeKwonDo - ChS

Macho Sparring Gear 7pc Dyna Set Karate TaeKwonDo - ChM

Related posts:

1. Amicably pummel your children - they’ll thank you for compelling them to face their fears
2. Reclaiming YOU at the end of your rope - Forget about SuperParent or SuperBlogger or …
3. What taking the hit in karate taught me about blogging - personal courage
4. What beginners karate taught me about blogging
5. Getting slapped upside the headed courtesy of your pitifully dull blog writing voice

(By the way, if you have any questions about the topics in this posting "What being kicked through the air taught me about blogging - When your blog is attacked", do comment below - I'll try to clarify any issues).

If you find this blog posting useful, please feel free to share it below. And do feel free to let your friends know about it as well....I very much appreciate your time!

Like this article? Please feel free to subscribe to our updates!