One of the funny things about life is the importance we give to those whose opinions really don't matter. We obsess over the one person who voices disapproval while ignoring the many who give their approval. We really need to turn this around.

As someone who contributes to three blogs and publishes a newsletter, it's a constant challenge to remember that for everyone who leaves a rude comment or makes a personal attack, there are several hundred who read my work and enjoyed it. Blogs reflect your opinion and carry a certain amount of personal investment. It's natural to feel a bit defensive about them. When a colleague offers an opposing point of view or corrects an error of fact, it creates a dialogue that is interesting to both me and many other readers. Opening your rebuttal with a personal attack and offering nothing of substance only demonstrates to everyone that you are jerk.

But for some reason, you remember those jerks. I still remember a colleague who took violent objection to one of my articles and demanded to be removed from my mailing list. When I went to do so, I found he hadn't even read the article. But I remember that rather than the fact that several hundred people read the article and that several chose to comment favorably on it.

So now I make it a point not to respond to any negative comments I receive and have learned to ignore them (well, mostly). There are more important things to do than responding to negativity. Consider where you can implement this in your own life and give it a try. It's not easy but it does make life a little bit better.