Stickers, Thorns, and scratchy things

When I was young we lived in an area where there was still a lot of undeveloped land. It was a thicket, all grown up in brush and cactus and sticker bushes. You had to weave your way between scratchy branches and 2 inch long thorns that can go right through your shoe sole and pop out the top of your foot. It was fun though and you learned how to avoid most of the hazards, and just suck up the pain when one of them got you.

Blogging reminds me of that thicket. In order to be authentic and create a brand, the most important one being your own personal brand, you have to put yourself out there and be prepared for the stickers and thorns and scratchy things that get thrown back at you.

It hurts, it really hurts, when your well thought out article is torn apart by someone who just takes joy in being hateful and hurtful. It's especially painful when a critic point out where you made a mistake or said something that was stupid. You feel bad, sometimes almost sick, when you realize that something you said, innocently without being mean, totally offended and hurt someone. So much comes back at you totally unexpected, out of the blue, stuff you never would have expected.

Just like that little kid learning about thorns and stickers, though, it's all part of the process. Painful as it is the things you learn are invaluable to your development not only as a blogger, but as a person. So I'm ready to go out there and step on a few thorns and rub up against some scratchy things, and I'll learn not to cry about it so much, eventually.

Gary