Even if you are a brand new blogger, you need to read this article!  The tips at the end have saved my emotional well being and allow me to be a celebrity blogger without unnecessarily wondering why the spotlight can be so tough.

I’m a big fan of Shoemoney (Jeremy Schoemaker), Chris Brogan, and Crystal Paine (Money Saving Mom), because they are all probloggers who are also at the top of our game.  Top bloggers running some of the top websites in the world are bound to get criticism, insults, and bad press on a daily basis, just because of the nature of their jobs.

As celebrity bloggers, some people look up to us, and others yearn only to find fault with our success and tear us down.  Being in the top 1% of sites in the world opens up a huge international audience that scrutinizes your every move, action, and choice of words.  It can become a huge burden, the responsibility of trying to field all these unsolicited opinions about your life. 

I’m lucky to have a naturally thick skin. Not many things get to me, I’m pretty easy going.  Even so, I tell my husband that Jeremy, Chris and Crystal get me through the days sometimes when the negativity from readers and non-readers gets to be too much. 

Jeremy Schoemaker gets back by firing back sharp words and making it apparent that his life and his choices are still his own, even as a celebrity. He uses humor to diffuse the situations, and he’s had a lot of experience perfecting his approach. 

Chris Brogan has taken the arrogant approach (in a good way) at times, with a “you obviously don’t know who I am – I’m Chris Brogan” attitude.  He chooses to produce results and succeed even more while the naysayers spend their time and energy focused on complaining about what he does. 

Crystal Paine chooses to step out of the public eye almost completely; you’ll barely even find photos of her on her site.

I rarely talk about the downside of being a celebrity blogger because I feel it’s my choice to be here so it’s my responsibility to deal with the side effects.  However, all bloggers should know that we all have to deal with these issues.

When trolls talk about my family or publicly wish me ill will (yes, even though I’m a 2-time cancer survivor, a reader actually wished me to get cancer in a comment last month), I draw the line and leave a firm but polite response on twitter.  Other than that, you don’t hear about the downside from me.

Now keep in mind that Jeremy, Chris, and Crystal are  more popular than I am.  I imagine the volume of public scrutiny they deal with is even more than mine.  My hope is that I will have perfected my thick skin by the time I reach their volume so that I can deal as well as they do.

I feel it’s important for any blogger, no matter how new or how small your following, start to gain a healthy perspective on this issue now.  Here is my advice to you:

The Hard-to-Face (but True) Realities

• As a blogger, you are now a public figure.  You made this choice when you started a public blog.
• People will expect more from you than they do of themselves or their friends. 
• People will feel you owe them explanations for your actions, your blog posts, and even the choices you make in your personal life.
• People will say negative things sometimes.  Never believe what people say about you. YOU decide what you are, no one else has that right.

Notwithstanding the above points,

• You are ONLY responsible to yourself, your family, and your values.  As long as you do and say what you believe is right, no one’s opinion of what you do matters.
• You are the only person that can tear down your blog, your choices, and your work.  You spent the effort to build it, so no one else has the right to criticize it but you.
• “When you are up at the top, you’re up for shots.” A very smart woman named Nina Elliot taught me that very early in my career.  I owe my thick skin in part to her teaching.  Jealous people can’t create, they can only destroy. As long as you are an example in the world of happiness or success, there will be some who try to tear you down.

These hard to swallow facts come with the territory of being a public figure.  The sooner you accept this for what it is, the sooner you can let it pass right by you so you can focus on what really matters.

Even if you haven’t received your first hate email or nasty comment, you will.  When it happens, remember to keep it in perspective.  You don’t have to be a hard or cold person to put up a protective shield around yourself and your family.  Be strong in knowing that at the end of the day, you only have to answer to yourself!

Visit Homemaker Barbi today, your ultimate Home & How-To source.

Mommy bloggers exist in a highly competitive blogworld, at least, it often seems that way to us in our minds.  Protecting ourselves against self-imposed “blog negativity” is absolutely key if we want to be successful and to ensure our own peace of mind.  (This advice doesn’t apply only to bloggers – it is vital for parents as well.)

I read a paragraph in an article by Trent Hamm from The Simple Dollar a long time ago, and I’ve never forgotten the quote. Seriously, I mean a LONG time – I’ve been holding onto this quote since July 2007, just waiting for the perfect time to write about it.   Well my friends, that time is now.

It’s Easy to get Caught Up…

We bloggers are immersed in other people’s lives.  We usually browse and read other people’s blogs, and interact with

other bloggers on twitter and in blog carnivals like Works for Me Wednesday, Family Friday, and Thursday Thirteen.  Since we have so much exposure to other people’s lives and activities, it is easy to get caught up in a subconscious habit of comparing ourselves to other bloggers. 

After all, we see everything everyone else is doing – what they’re blogging about, tweeting about, what sponsors they have, what conferences they are going to, what blog talk radio shows they’re doing, the newest widgets they’ve found, what forums they participate in, what cool Wordpress plugins they’ve installed… the list goes on and on.

Blogging is hard work, and being part of this community means creating things to contribute, whether blog posts or photos or comments or advice.  How can you use your creative power when you’re choked by negative feelings about other people doing more than you? 

Even if you’re not a blogger, this tip still applies to you.  Parents can get involved in negativity and self-doubt by seeing what other parents do or think or accomplish, and feeling as though they’re not doing as well. 

It’s overwhelming to think of what everyone else is doing, and it’s only natural to compare ourselves and our efforts to see if we “measure up”.  But you have to keep that comparison reasonable and in perspective.  When this happens to me, I think back to the quote I was telling you about earlier.  I read it in an article titled, “10 Techniques I Used To Go From 0 To 12,000 RSS Subscribers In Seven Months – With No Ads Or Leverage”.  When I started reading Trent’s article (which was a guest post on ProBlogger), I expected to find strategies and action items.  What I did not expect to find was this snippet of gold, perfect for mommy bloggers:

“Don’t give into negativity:

“At some point, you’re going to be jealous of the success of another blogger. At some other point, you’re going to believe that the game is rigged against you – that there’s no way you can become really popular. Don’t believe a word of it. The blogosphere is the closest thing to a meritocracy that exists for sharing ideas – the things that get you ahead are working your tail off and having good ideas.

“Whenever you get jealous of someone, think of the time they’ve invested to reach their level of success and respect it instead. Whenever you get down on yourself or on the blogosphere as a whole, remember that by sitting there being negative, you’re wasting time that you could be using to directly or indirectly get your voice out there.” – Trent Hamm

That reality check helps me keep my thoughts on the positive when I start realizing that other people are doing more or different things than I am.     

As an intelligent person, you are a creator, not a copier.  You don’t have to keep up with anyone else, let alone everyone else, and to think you could is unrealistic!  I am ONE person, and so are you.  One person can only do so much, and we have to remember to take it easy on ourselves and RESPECT what we do and all that we accomplish, instead of criticizing our hard work!  You might also like to read our interview with Crystal Paine (of Money Saving Mom) on how bloggers can balance computer time and family life.

I just did a fantastic workout and noticed that my treadmill consistently houses some very specific (and a few unorthodox) items.  In fact, if you look at the dashboard of my treadmill, you’ll see one overloaded console that is nearly overflowing with business tools.

Some of the items really help me push the envelope as a successful problogger and business owner.  Some help me fine-tune my body and my health as an amateur figure/bodybuilding competitor. 

Whatever the purpose, there is no denying that I get value out of every minute on my treadmill – times TWO!  Multitasking for exercise and blogging is a must for me, and I present you with the 13 things on my treadmill that help me do it all.

13 Blogging Tools on my Treadmill Right Now

1.  LifeHack Article.  I print RSS feed articles from various sites in my feed reader and catch up on blogs while I work out. LifeHack.org gives me an edge with efficiencies for my life that keep me inspired.

2.  Quick Sprout Article.  Another printed article by my new acquaintance and problogger, Neil Patel, on business. Specifically, this article is “15 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started My First Blog.”

3. Fast Company Magazine.  Right at the top of the cover: “The Most Influential Women in Tech.” I’m not on the list this year, but I sure aim to be next year.

4.  Inc. Magazine.  Those of you who know me already know it’s a goal of mine to be on the cover of Inc. Magazine with my husband in the next 5 years.  This mag is invaluable for all entrepreneurs, trust me.

5.  Chapstick.  Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, to be exact. 3 of ‘em. You can never have too many.

6.  Sticky Note Flags.  These are the paper kind that you can write on.  I use them to make quick bookmarks in magazines and books of things I want to go back to once I’m at my desk.  I read for speed and quantity when I work out.

7.  Problogger Article.  Darren Rowse has tons of guest bloggers and there is never a shortage of new and interesting content about blogging on his site.  This keeps me up-to-date with what is going on in the blogworld.  Today’s article?  “5 Ways to Find Direct Advertisers for Your Blog”.

8.  Huge glass of water.  Hydration is ultra-important; I always leave room for a 16 oz water up on the console.

9.  Lined Notebook.  I have my best ideas on the treadmill, while sleeping, and in the shower.  You better believe I have paper nearby to write these down, paper with lines.

10.  Purple Pen From the Flower Shop Down the Street.  This goes with #9.  I can only write on paper with a purple pen from College Floral.  No kidding. I’m a bit weird.  I have about 5 of these pens, and have no idea what I’ll do when they run out of ink.  I guess I’ll have to order some more flowers. 

(I hate all other pens. I guess you could try to sway me by sending me your company’s promotional pens. If I end up liking them, you could end up with some serious advertising exposure, especially when I’m using them at blog conferences!)

11. eWeek Magazine.  This free weekly mag comes in digital form too, but I prefer to receive the hard copy because – you guessed it – I read it on the treadmill!

12.  Library Book.  This varies by week, but man (and woman) cannot live by periodicals alone.  I love books, and my reference library definitely needs more space.

13.  Me.  I am the most important piece on the exercise equipment!  Without me to utilize the tools listed above, they hold no value at all.  You are the most important piece of the blogging puzzle – remember that!

Don’t forget to visit my other sites, like HomemakerBarbi.com, for great tips to get the edge in life in business and at home.