Love Your Haters.

Hello fellow creators of WONDER and magic!

Not all girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice…some girls are made of adventure, dark chocolate, intelligence, cuss words and courage.- Brooke Hampton

And it’s a good thing too because I got my first horrible review – I mean scathing…nothing hopeful about it.

(It was for “Born to FREAK).

I think you could def. qualify it as a true “hater” sort of thing…which kind of excites me.

Why?

Well, the people I admire most for their writing – Martha Beck, Elizabeth Gilbert for starters both have at least a few horrible, unkind reviews (and thousands of great ones!).

I’m not sure Kanye West is right 100 % of the time (some “haters” may just feel angry and helpless), but….what I do know is:

1. It’s much easier to criticize and destroy something (or someone) than it is to create something beautiful and helpful.

2. When I feel extremely critical it’s often because what the other person is doing brings up my shhhhhhh*t—and there’s something I need to look at- usually something shadowy in my human self.️

3. When I’m being criticized, it ALWAYS helps to remember the hundreds of times I’ve been told my work is beautiful or powerful in some way.

And I remember what my brilliant friend Anna Kunnecke says:

If criticism somehow leaves you inspired to go back and improve something- or to move forward in an excited way- that’s constructive!
If it doesn’t- then it’s not helpful.

And that leads me to the quote that changed Brené Brown’s life (and mine!):

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt, the Man in the Arena.

The critics aren’t the ones who count.

We are here to do beautiful vulnerable work- to show our hearts and to express ourselves.

Lets be brave!

with love, Sarah

P.S. I hope you are covered with dust and blood everyday- if that’s what you’d like:)️ If you’d like to step in to the ring but could use a hand- I am here!  Let’s work together.

P.S.  My Schedule for BOOK TOUR

Subtext Bookstore in St. Paul 11/16 7 PM

Park Rapids Bookstore – Beagle Books 11/25  11 AM- 2 PM

Zenith Books (Duluth) Signing 12/6/17 3-4 PM

Vromans Pasadena California 1/16 7 PM

Bookshow Los Angeles 1/13 7-9 PM (vision boarding too!)

The Pophop 1/14 3-4 PM (Eagle Rock, CA)

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