“I heard a woman on the radio talking about how much she hated you.”
This is what a friend told me recently. That’s a weird thing to have happen, isn’t it? I write blogs and books and give speeches. Most of what I do would never be considered incendiary, and yet, some woman I’ve never met is hating on me on a radio show that usually plays Bieber and One Direction.
And truth be told, not everyone who disagrees with you is a hater. As I wrote about on my other blog last week, the vast majority of people who disagree with you are just that, people who disagree with you. In the past, I’ve grossly over labeled people as haters who weren’t. But a pop station talking about how much the hate me, does not fall into the disagreement category. (Unless our disagreement was me saying, “I don’t think you should hate me without having ever interacted with me,” and their argument was, “No, we disagree and hate you, you complete stranger.”)
I don’t know what I replied to my friend. The weeks have erased my exact words, but I am sure it was kind and humble and fake.
Why fake? Because I know now what I would like to say to the small handful of haters I have, and it’s exactly the kind of thing I promised to keep doing in the post I wrote last week.
Here’s the truth of how I wish that conversation went down.
My friend: “I heard a woman on the radio talking about how much she hated you.”
Me: “Really? Well everyone needs a hobby. I guess her’s is watching me win.”
There’s going to be hate. There always is, especially if you actually do something worthwhile with your life.
That’s OK.
Hustle anyway.