Freelance Your Way to Freedom

19Handling Online Criticism and Hate

Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.

— Jay Baer

Where there are people, there is going to be envy. It's been happening since the beginning of humankind. Many of the oldest tales passed down by generations revolve around envy among rulers, nations, and even family. It's a natural human emotion that all of us can't help but experience from time to time.

The internet is a double‐edged sword. It can change your life, set you financially free, and change people's lives around the world. But it can also inspire a slew of negative and toxic responses out of users who allow their envy and insecurity to swallow them whole. And to my knowledge, there is nothing we can do about this sector of people online today.

Rather than wish they would disappear, I believe it's best to anticipate their behavior and hate. They are going to show up on your posts the moment you start driving momentum to your personal brand. Where there is growing security and confidence, there is also that one internet user who is determined to lob their hate and trauma onto you.

We're not wired as humans to be exposed to the personal feelings and opinions of so many people. That's why you need to carefully craft how much time you do, and do not, spend on social media, as well as how much time you spend reading unhappy comments and direct messages. There is a happy medium that can be established here, and it's taken me a few years to perfect it. But with these methods, I ...