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Toughen Up: How Your Blog Can Benefit from Rejection & Criticism

*excerpt from IFB


Remember when you were a kid and you got picked last for the kickball team at recess? Ouch. Rejections and feelings of inadequacy that come from assessment by our peers are often the most brutal of all.
On the other side of the coin – perhaps you also remember getting a little gold statue at the end of your tee-ball season, just for participating? You showed up, you wore a uniform, and you swung a bat – hooray! Well done, at least you tried.

As we grow, rejection takes different forms. In school it could be a bad grade on a project, maybe you’ve been rejected by a love interest, and in the professional world perhaps you didn’t get that job you were so right for, or that promotion you thought you deserved.

There’s no application process or letter of acceptance you need to start a blog. No one is going to stop you, except yourself. This is both good and bad, because when you’re the only one calling the shots, your content is completely of your own design but also potentially free from the healthy dose of criticism it may need.

Have you ever faced rejection as a blogger? 

Well, have you? Has a brand ever rejected your pitch? Has a post fallen of deaf ears without a single tweet, comment or click-through? Have you received negative comments, lost a contest, failed to hit the traffic goals you’ve set for yourself?

Good.

Rejection is important for growth and self-awareness. It shows us when our work (our posts, our photography, our proposals) or our skill set is simply not good enough and needs improvement. How is anyone expected to be better at anything or to push themselves to the next level if they’re never exposed to their shortcomings?

One of the brilliant things about being a self-publishing blogger is that rejection and criticism can only stop you if you let them. Like all the rappers – ever – have always said, haters gon’ hate. If you can pick through the negativity and feedback to find what will help you improve – and then keep on doing you thing, just better – then you’re on the right track.

Grow from criticism (and rejection, too). 

The development of thicker skin comes from understanding but not dwelling. Some of the rejection and criticism that will come your way (especially as you grow your blog and gain exposure) will be completely unfounded, and the product of bitter, angry, useless people. Much of it though – while having a bit of a sting – will contain truths that will profoundly change your perception of your work, yourself and the business you’re in.

Pain is temporary and scars show that you’ve been to battle and lived to tell about it.

Read the negative comments. Study the response of a rejected pitch to a brand. Figure out why this person is saying what they’re saying, and if there’s something you can do about it. Does your photography need work? Take a class! Is your writing sloppy? Get back on your editing A-game. Do you need more traffic? Go out and earn it.

As with so many things in life – those who can put a positive spin on things and learn from their experiences – both good and bad – will be the ones who prosper. Shrug off the haters and adapt with the constructive criticism you receive.

“Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential.” – Jessamyn West
How do you deal with rejection?
Have you experienced criticism that has helped you grow as a blogger and as a person?

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19 comments :

  1. Hurray, I'm happy that someone like you and one of the few have stood up to never look at things in the blogosphere at face value, at least not all the times.

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    1. thank you sis! I also admire you, coz you are also tough!

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  2. As they would say, "if it doesn't kill you, it will only make you stronger." The moment you start a blog, you open yourself to people who would support you and people who will criticize you. Since I started blogging, I've learned to take things with a grain of salt. You have to face the fact that you won't be able to please everyone. But there will be some that will provide constructive critics for you to make you better. Personally, if you can't handle negative comments and rejection, you have to think twice about blogging because these will surely come.

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    1. blogging takes a lot of courage..That's why in blogging, you have to think twice if you will open yourself to the world (and face the consequences) or just keep it to yourself. Negative comments are always there, everywhere we go, it's always there. But I think this negativity gives sparks to some things. Gives you intrigue and yeah, room for improvements!

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  3. Ouch!! For the past few days I decided to stop blogging , I've been receiving negative comments in my blog, they are telling the truth actually it's just not easy to face the music. But of course it only means I need to improve, it hurts a lot but it is what it is. If I give up now then I will never learn. At least now I know my blog is getting exposure and people are really reading it so I need to watch everything that I post online.

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    1. never give-up Ms Violy! We learned a lot from other bloggers and also from our mistakes, and that's good!

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  4. My tip is just have an open mind with criticism and rejection/failure is just another word that means, you have to try harder.

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  5. not really rejection and criticism, but failure actually :) about 3 years ago, i'm enjoying the benefits of being a seo blogger. the cash inflow came in really handy. but i have to stop doing seo in order to prioritize my studies. i have no qualms in doing it, since i'm rather getting bored with seo. and i thought, i can come back anytime i want. true i can comeback, because i just did after my graduation. unfortunately, all the sites that i've tried to put up didn't even made it to the serps. and i will always try to make another one, but still the same result. it's hard, and really frustrating. i failed. (: but thanks to that, i came back to the world of personal blogging which is laid back and relaxing.

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  6. Criticism should always be taken with a grain of salt. Those who can willingly accept criticism and make room for improvement will go a long way. :)

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  7. Feedback is a wonderful gift. Look past the person and look at the message. It's great to hear how others perceive what we write.

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  8. I think rejection is a part of our life. You just have to suck it up and move on to the next one. I know it is easier said than done but we should face the truth that not everything will be served on a silver platter. Just make sure that you will turn rejection as a challenge to strive for something better next time.

    xoxo
    MrsMartinez

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  9. It's good to keep things in perspective. As you pointed out, negative comments can be used to seek improvement but sometimes, negative comments are just plain negative and we have to make a decision to let it slide and walk away. If the feedback is not useful, there is no sense in dwelling on it.

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  10. Having a mistakes is very important, because of that mistake you we're be able to understand it absolutely.

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  11. I enjoy reading your article,,,and nice post ...

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  12. Indeed! These things only make us stronger and wiser!!

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  13. I faced a recent character assasination because someone thought that I was attacking their country. It worked out extremely well for me. It got 100's of people to read my blog but few made comments so the slander didn't work. It was great to have that many people look at my blog. I little controversy helps in the end. :-)

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