Kick Bullies to the CURB: How to Overcome Negativity and Conquer (Writing Advice)

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, 'I'm possible.'" - Audrey Hepburn 

Me & the first print copy of Bravo: Apocalypse Mission.

What does it take to be successful? And speaking of success, how do you even define such a thing? What is the measure of "making it?" Is it monetary? Is it emotional? Mental? Physical? I think everybody has a slightly different opinion on the matter. Broadly speaking, I believe that success is generally defined as being happy and financially secure. But again, success is different for everyone. For me, success is being loved by those around you, and in turn, loving them back and loving what you do every day.

  
Since I started working in publishing, I've encountered a lot of support from the reading community. People have appeared in massive droves to purchase Bravo: Apocalypse Mission - the list of mentions for Bravo himself on Twitter is so long that I can't even find the end. This is my 12th release, and the positive vibes and love I receive from the reading community is astonishing and humbling. 

But what about the flip side? What about the people who tear you down, the people who tell you that you suck, the people who say that you shouldn't write, or the people who are just plain mean? How do you deal with that? 

Here's my theory. Success is hard to reach because there are a lot of obstacles on the way up - and most of those obstacles are people. If you want to make any type of progress or success in any aspect of your life, you have to go into your journey with this mindset: "I don't care what people think of me, and I don't care what they say. I'm going to do my thing, work my butt off, and achieve my goals. I'll make my dreams a reality." 

Negativity is a real problem - especially with the internet. People can say whatever they want, whenever they want. Sometimes, they can be just plain cruel and heartless. Why? I don't know and I don't care. That's their problem, not mine. You have to keep fighting. Admittedly, I've been playing this game for a long time, so I have developed a pretty thick skin when it comes to mean commentary or critics. I brush it off and take it with a grain of salt. Every once in a while, I'll have a small crying session about it...but then I move on. You can't get stuck on negativity, or you'll never get anywhere. 

If I let the negativity of one single critic affect my mindset, I would be stuck, sitting at a desk, staring at the wall, wondering, "How can I write when that person said I was a terrible writer? How can I write when that guy said that as a female I have no place writing survivalist fiction?" NOPE. Those people have no business affecting the way I think or live. 

Success isn't about being rich or famous. It's about being self-disciplined, mature and taking everything in stride. It's about picking yourself back up when you get knocked down. It's about being the bigger person, about loving people who may not deserve to be loved, and it's about doing the best you can in everything you do - no matter what it is. 

Kick the critics, the high-and-mighty, the snobs, the bullies, the know-it-alls and the negative vibes to the curb. Go get it - you can do it. Trust me, I KNOW YOU CAN!