It was fun to crack open a little bit of our personal “stuff” last Tuesday for this post about the real $herdog (yes, I’m still patiently waiting for that nickname to catch on) and John’s J-Boom version. And a funny thing happened after sharing those. Not only did they receive over 1,200 amazingly awesome and encouraging comments (note to self: apparently you’re not a social pariah if you admit that you sometimes have strawberry cream cheese on your ear and are inclined to impersonate Cindy Lou Who) but we also got dozens of emails – not even exaggerating – asking about how to deal with criticism and respond to negative comments. And thus this post was born.
I guess by sharing all of our weird idiosyncrasies it encouraged people to write about something they’re struggling with and ask how we handle it? It also could have had something to do with this thread on the $herdog post. Either way, the emails mostly came from folks who run small blogs who have somehow fallen into larger readerships thanks to being pinned on Pinterest or otherwise thrust into the spotlight suddenly (like a feature on Apartment Therapy or Design Sponge). And the general gist of every single email was this: someone was blogging along about whatever they blog about (some of these people aren’t home bloggers at all) and then… zinger… it happened. A not-so-nice comment. And it stung.
With more readers definitely comes more “feedback” – both good and bad. And you know I’m happy to be that spunky little cheerleader on your shoulder shouting high-pitched overly-enthusiastic things like: “you can do it!” and “reach for the stars!” – so here’s my humble advice in a nutshell:
- It’s your blog.
- Be who you are. That is enough.
- Try to give the good feedback as much weight as the bad.
- Do all things with love.
Sounds corny huh? But I’ll explain how those four things have really helped us deal with the whole “you’re putting yourself out there and I’m anonymous so I’m going to tell you exactly how I feel” phenomenon. After all we’ve been told (both nicely and not so nicely) a few of the following things:
- I’m not really interested in posts about _____, so I vote you skip them
- I’m losing interest in big projects – do more little ones
- Do more big projects – the small ones are filler
- I want more Clara and Burger and everyday stuff
- I want less Clara and Burger and everyday stuff
- That paint color/art/room is ugly/not the right choice
- Stop using certain words/expressions because they make me cringe
- Stop being so cheap and spend some money
- Stop spending so much money and be more frugal
- Move faster, I’m bored
- Move slower so I can catch up
- I’m disappointed in this choice/this idea/you
- This blog used to be better because _________
- I will no longer read this blog because ________
See all the contradictions going on in there? Basically if we listened to every suggestion, well, we wouldn’t have a thing to blog about. Not a single thing. And after 2,000+ posts and over four years of doing this, we’ve definitely learned that some folks like things that others hate and some people have an opinion when it comes to how they’d run this blog if it were theirs. But here’s the thing. It’s not theirs.
Which brings us to…
Tip #1: It’s your blog. It might sound weird to point out, but your blog isn’t a magazine with a team of 30 people who poll their readers and try to please the largest group (at least I don’t think it is). The very definition of a blog is just an outlet to write whatever you want and share whatever part of your life that you’re passionate about in your own words and at your own pace and in whatever way feels natural to you. Whether you do it full time or as a hobby once a month, your only real task is to be who you are and share what you like and those who like it will drop in.
In our case, we’re just two people with a dog and a kid who happened to gain a following sharing our adventures on the home front. We just write about whatever’s going on in our lives and seems interesting to us, which has gotten us here (we’re not Facebook or Pinterest, but 5 million hits a month = crazytown to two kids like us). See, if you attempt to please every last commenter, as much as you love and value your readers, know that it’s Mission Impossible – and it could even lead to your blog’s downfall (it won’t be yours anymore). So trust yourself. Everyone else might have an opinion, but your voice really should be the loudest and your vote really should be the one that counts.
Tip #2: Be who you are. That is enough. I think most people are a little guilty of the whole wanting-more syndrome. When a show ends I immediately want the next episode to come on (and I want it to be even better than the last). When I get a magazine and it’s feeling a little thin I wish it were twice as thick. And I think boxes of Oreos should be bottomless (I expect them to refill themselves while I’m sleeping). So it’s no surprise that when it comes to blogging, well, readers are inclined to want more. They might say it not-so-nicely, or very kindly indeed. And either way it might make you feel sort of womp-womp. But it’s just human nature. And I can tell you from experience that you will be a happier person and a better blogger if you make peace with that completely normal phenomenon.
You can’t control how every single person reacts to your blog, but you can control how you blog. And struggling to eke out more to the point of exhaustion or burnout (be it recipes, sewing tips, DIY stuff, photography pointers, craft ideas, or anything else you blog about) just isn’t the answer. At least not if – in the words of Claire Danes in Homeland – you’re playing the long game. Ideally your method of blogging should make you feel more inspired, creative, and enthusiastic about blogging – which in turn will shine through so your readers get just as giddy about it as you do. There’s a reason that your blog is attracting a readership and people are coming back. So just go at your own pace and concentrate on doing things well and not making yourself sick or neglecting your family because a few usually very well-intentioned folks want something that should take ten days to be done, photographed, and blogged about in five. Forgive people for being excited and impatient. We all do it.
Of course establishing these boundaries applies to other scenarios too, so if you have a family blog and folks want more photos/info about your kids than you’re comfortable sharing, know that whatever you want to share = enough. In blogging I generally think if it feels wrong (or makes you feel tired/sad/uninspired), it’s wrong. So don’t do it. As much as I hate being told to relax (seriously, ask John, it’s on his “do not ever say that to me unless you want me to go crazy on you” list), just try to relax and do your thing.
Tip #3: Try To Give The Good Feedback As Much Weight As The Bad. The funny thing is that everyone we talk to who is wrestling with comment criticism admits they still get waaaaay more positive comments than negative ones. I mean the ratio is usually astounding. We know it just takes one cutting comment to get under your skin, but when the vast majority of people love something, it sucks to let one commenter sink your battleship. Let’s do some light math (I don’t do heavy math, but light math is ok). If over the course of a week or two, 99 people take the time to say they like your blog/post/project/house/whatever and one person chimes in to say something’s not their cup of tea, that still adds up to a 99% success rate. And those are good odds my friend- so keep on keeping on! Heck, even if a ton of your readers don’t like something but you like it, I wholeheartedly think that you should keep blogging about it. Why? Because you like it and – once again, for the folks in the back – it’s your blog. Picture me up stage wearing a pant suit and a pocket protector saying “I can’t hear you!” and holding the mic out so you can shout that chorus with me. Or dancing around in this outfit chanting it with my lovely family while serving up a heaping portion of jazz hands (Burger’s clearly hiding because he doesn’t want to be seen in this getup).
Tip #4: Do everything with love. It’s admittedly extremely cheesy (and you might hear a tiny violin playing in the background) but my favorite advice is usually summed up in that phrase. It’s actually written on a post-it note that I’ve had stuck to my laptop for the longest time. When someone takes time out of their day to say something they’d most likely never say to anyone’s face (or would they…?) I’ve come to realize that spewing the same venom that they flung in my direction won’t make me feel any better (heck, it would probably make me feel significantly worse).
So I try to look at them from a place of love. Maybe they’ve had a terrible day. Maybe they’ve lost someone they love very much and they’re hurting. It may seem weird to try to have compassion for those who don’t seem to be very sensitive to your feelings, but I’m telling you that there’s something to it. It helps me respond with humor or a quick explanation from my point of view without getting too heated. Or even just with the words “Merry Christmas to you and your family!” like I did when someone said that decorating our family Christmas tree with paint chips was akin to decorating it with tampon wrappers. Growing up my mom always said that above being successful, popular, or athletic (all the things I worried about so much back then), being kind was the most important thing. And that’s something I’d love to pass down to Clara. Sing it with me: all ya need is love.
So there it is. My brain dump. I hope it helps at least one or two of you out there who might be struggling with growing and having more eyes on you. I know it sounds corny, but for us this blog is just about sharing our adventures and hopefully helping you guys along the way. That’s why we make videos about grouting and cabinet painting and take so many photos and share every last detail – in the hope of helping a handful of you guys at home. And it’s also why we love sharing behind the scenes blogging stuff like this (since so many of you are fellow bloggers these days). I am completely embarrassed to admit this, but we wrote the Thank You part of our book a few weeks ago, and it wasn’t the part about our family and friends that made me cry, it was the part about you, our lovely readers. Crying isn’t even the word. It wasn’t cute. I was weeping. There was smeared mascara and a runny nose. The whole nine yards.
The enthusiasm, sweetness, and support that you folks send our way is nothing less than life-changing. I really mean that. The least we can do is crack open a little bit of ourselves in beyond-DIY posts like this from time to time (every once in a while we get the itch to overshare, like this and this along with our more recent J-Boom and $herdog posts). So lets get all sappy and share mom and dad quotes in the comments. Or any other older and wiser family member who said something while you were growing up that rings oh so true to you. My mom was also famous for saying “always wear nice underwear in case you end up in the emergency room” throughout my formative years. And let me tell you, she was right on the money about that too. It’s waaaaaaaay too embarrassing to go into, but I didn’t follow her advice and I royally regretted it. There were Care Bears involved. And I was 21. And I don’t think the doc grasped the concept of ironic underwear. I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination.
Update – Some of the most frequent requests that we get are for info about professionally blogging (how we made our site, how we grew our following, how we make money, etc) so we shared all of the details about how we started a blog, grew our traffic, and turned it into a full time job.
Megan says
I love your blog! It’s given us the confidence to attack projects that otherwise we would have to wait till we could afford our contractor to do them for us.
I’m inches away from sewing a new shower curtain to put on our higher mounted shower rod. And we are going to dry lock/paint our basement once we aren’t exhausted (we have a 4 month old) and it’s spring so the doors can be open so no one passes out.
Thanks for taking the time to share.
Lauren H says
Y’all are wonderful! I blog about education, and it seems the more followers I get, the more negative “I completely disagree” posts/comments I get. It’s hard to figure out if (a) the person has a valid point and (b) how much attention I should give to the negativity. Thanks for the encouragement!
Kirralee says
Keep doing what you’re doing!! Love everything about you guys and what you do! Xo
Coconutandcream says
Excellent post -And I love how you reply to the commenters, even though there are 991 of us!
x.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you know we love you all!
xo,
s
Julie @ PushingTwigs.com says
Thank you for this timely post. I just started my own blog and the things you mentioned are exactly what kept me from doing it sooner. I have a thin skin sometimes, but I know that my writings won’t be for everyone and there’s always someone out there who isn’t feeling the love and wants to ruin someone else’s day. Just so you know, I really enjoy your blog you are all adorable :-) I really like the way you inject humor into your posts – makes it very entertaining and fun.
Brittany says
Such a great post! Me & my two girlfriends are starting a blog, and I’m so glad we happened on this post before we dove in…it will be a great encouragement to fall back on. Thank you!
laura says
WOW. Thank you for this. I just started blogging and just got my first negative comment. Great advice from one of my favorite blogs. Keep up the good work!
Michelle says
Hi Guys – I absolutely LOVE your whole family and I think everything you do is magical. I have been following you since the beginning. My husband even asks me from time to time how y’all are doing – he loves Burger and Clara videos. Please do not let ANYONE steal your joy. I love hearing about all aspects of your lives. LOVE YOU LOTS!!!
Jen @ a place 2 call home says
Thanks for all of the advise!
Penny says
This post and all the comments have been so uplifting to read! I love your advice and your sunny attitude. The world could use more people like $herdog and J-Boom.
I wish I had something deep and profound to share, but here’s a quote from my BFF that always cheers me up a bad day: “Opinions are like buttholes; everybody has one.”.
nerr says
love you guys. you guys are seriously the best.
YoungHouseLove says
No you are! Haha. Or in the words of Jimmy Fallon: no you ah!
xo,
s
Crystal P in SD says
Real story…Today in the shower (not creepy like, i promise) I thought to myself myself, ‘Self. Dont forget to check Young House Love’s website so that you can figure out a way to decorate the hallway & stair landing. Then I thought, “Thank God for this website- otherwise I’d be lost. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be so visible because I know the bad comes with the good. But Oh jeeez…they are great!” Once the water turned cold, I got out and looked on this site and read this post.
I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that your efforts and hard work have not been in vain. For every not so nice comment, there are thousands of non-commenters who leave the site better off than how they started ;)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! And you’re sweet.
xo,
s
Shunta says
J&S, you’ve heard it before but I still want to just say how much I enjoy you all and your blog. I reference you all and Clara in conversation so often my friends ask, “hold on, how do you know them again?” to which I reply, “oh I don’t per se but I read their blog EVERY day!” I am just such a fan and I just want to encourage you to continue doing what you do. Every time someone mentions a project in their house I begin my response with “Oh well John and Sherry did ___ in their house, check out their blog!” Anywho, I could go on forever. But wanted to add to the positive comments out there b/c I truly enjoy you all and yours is the only blog I check every single day (more than once…) and as this comments shows, even on weekends just to recap posts from earlier in the week. :-)
Melissa N. says
I wish I could say something that hasn’t already been said, but like many others, I don’t get who in their right mind could have something negative to say about you guys (or your blog!). I stumbled upon your blog over a week ago while doing a Google search on how to paint chairs (I am in the process of trying to make-over our kitchen table and chairs), and found your tutorial on how to paint furniture. Then I began poking around at other things and suddenly I was hooked. I’ve actually gone back and started reading from your very first post because I find it so fun to read about all the projects you’ve taken on (and I learn something new every time). I truly find your blog inspiring, and not only as it relates to DIY projects, but in general. You guys really seem to know how to live life to the fullest, which is something I wish I knew how to do (I’m a young mother of two who works full-time, and always stressed out). And admittedly I do love how simple you make things look — even though for me, it turns out to be not so simple or quick as I thought it would be, but you still make me feel empowered and inspired. I have gotten so many wonderful ideas from you guys. So thank you so much for being a source of inspiration to myself and other people out there. Thank you for taking the time to comment to your readers, and thank you for being “real”. I completely agree with all the points you stated, and if it’s one thing I don’t like with blogs out there, it’s when people ONLY write about the good and never the bad. So thank you for being so honest and keep doing what you’re doing, because clearly — as indicated by over 1,000 comments that you’ve received on this post so far! — you’re doing something right.
Sincerely,
Melissa
Lush says
Definitely advice for life. I think everyone should look in the mirror and offer the same “ädvice” to themselves & see how it feels before they comment.
I am glad that as my life has progressed I have become much better in believing the old saying that the only opinion of me that matters is my own!
That is not to say that I can be mean just that if I am doing something that brings me joy & I am not harming anyone else then I’m good to go.
Keep following your path, for it is your path & only you can walk it.
Me I’m loving the kitchen, was not sure at first re the grey tiles but hey they aren’t mine, you like them & in the end that is all that matters. (I love them now they are up LOL Kudos to you both for your patient persistence)
I am yet to get a nasty on my little teeny tiny blog but I am sure it will come & I am glad you have written this for all of us to think on.
Lush
Currently Sydney but really want to be back in London
Sydney 32 degrees – London 2 degrees mmmmm, nuf said
Michelle says
In the words of Bridget Jones … I love you guys just as you are! Especially your glass half full approach to life, seriously don’t change one bit!
Arati @ Book Weyr says
I agree with the ‘if you haven’t anything nice to say don’t say it’ philosophy.
Sherry and John, Clara and Burger, you are my favourite blog. First thing in the morning, I check on my iPhone
1. My email
2. Facebook
3. Young house love
4. Young house life
5. Pinterest
Then
6. Get out of bed
Anyone who comments mean things on your blog doesn’t deserve to be reading it. I don’t have my own house yet, but I live vicariously through you!
We’re nearly a year in to our book review blog Book Weyr, and the mean comments have included ‘you are all idiots, I bet you’re being paid for this’ and ‘do you give good reviews to people you ****’ and ‘no offence to this review, but there’s a better one at xyzzy’. All anonymous.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet Arati!
xo,
s
Julie Grogan says
This isn’t related to this post but not certain where to put this. Could you please do an update on Karl, the sectional? I am interested in how it is holding up to family life as I am considering buying a sofa as a gift for my daughter’s family. No Ikea close to us to visit.
YoungHouseLove says
Update: We love him! No complaints. We wash his covers every once in a while and he still looks good. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Amy C says
Wow, I am in shock… I can’t believe there would be a whole thread out there talking $h*t! I had read about that happening a lot with fashion blogs… and am sad to hear it happens with other blogs, too!
You guys are amazing – inspirational – and probably don’t need my encouragement, but keep up the amazing work. Thanks for an encouraging post about dealing with negativity – it definitely translates to real life too. “Kill them with kindness” as they say!!
Sara says
Kudos to you guys being so strong and easily forgetful of those who aren’t so kind. I posted a personal painting that I did on Craig’s List to see if it would sell, and received a very negative email. I haven’t summoned the courage to post anything else. The comment was WAY different than the usual artistic criticism you would receive from peers. You guys are the only blog I read, and I absolutely love how you write and do projects. Never change!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh that’s so sad, I’m so sorry that happened. Art is totally one of those eye-of-the-beholder things – so sad that some people think they’re the art police!
xo,
s
Megan says
I love your blog like a fat kid loves birthday cake. Seriously, mornings wouldn’t be the same without some YHL and coffee.
Katie Monty says
Thanks for this, guys. As a very new blogger, this is encouraging and helps us to stay on the right track/keep the right perspective from the start. Especially love tip #4. Love me some love!
Jenny says
Hey John & Sherry! I don’t comment very often because I have a certain curly-haired little man who needs his momma to play legos with him. Or trains, depends on the day :) But I wanted to say thank you for making the effort to see the negativity for what it is, and for forging ahead with what you do best … being you! I can’t imagine the hours and hard work you put ino YHL, and I wanted to say thank you for allowing us to follow along on your journey. I’ve followed your blog for a couple years now, using your site as inspiration to make our various military ppst houses our “home.” Because home is where your rump rests, right? :) Name that movie … Anyways, my sweet hubby is home safe from his last tour in Afghanistan and we are in the process of looking to buy our first home and set down some roots for our young family. So you can bet I’ll be checking YHL for tutorials and inspiration (and your step-by step instructions for the hubby, the man can handle multi-million dollar government vehicles & equipment, but is admittedly anxious to use a drill or jigsaw haha.)
On a quick sidenote, I share your ER embarrassment with undergarments … I had a nasty fall off my bike in middle school and about died when the hot EMT had to cut my shirt off … only to further die when I found out later that my newly acquired training bra that I so proudly had been wearing was actually on inside out. I think I’m still blushing all these years later. Sigh. Anyways, thanks again for all you do!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- Lion King! Love that movie! And om man, that ER story totally sounds like something I’d do!
xo,
s
Dacia @ Lemon Drop Life says
Whenever we would take road trips, my mom would say the following everytime we stopped at a gas station but said we didn’t need to use the bathroom: “Take the opportunity when you have the opportunity so you won’t be without the opportunity when you need the opportunity.”
It was something we always laughed off as kids, but I find myself saying it everytime I’m travelling somewhere!
erica says
I love your blog! It’s helped me realize that my husband and I can do DIY projects around our house. I go back to your painting tips each time we’ve painted.
I’m amazed that people can’t just say something to themselves like, “well that’s not my style” and move on. But we love to take people down to make us feel better at times. Even with my little blog I’ve had some nasty comments about my knitting over the years.
Thanks for keeping it real and helping those of us new to DIY see how long projects usually take when you’re DIYing. You’ve made me also realize that we will not be re-doing our kitchen ourselves unless my husband suddenly wakes up with lots of handy knowledge in his brain. :)
Wendy B. says
Hi guys!
What great advice for anyone who work trying to please people! I am a long time hairstylist who finds myself advising those new to the business very similarly.
It still stings(even after 25 years)if someone isn’t happy with what I’ve done,but I try to consider the large clientelle who LOVE their hair(that’s one of the best things about my job, immediate gratification)and as long as I know I did my job with PASSION and did my VERY BEST, I can always sleep at night. After all, that’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla!
I LOVE that you put your VERY BEST out there, and I follow your blog because I recognize your PASSION for what you do and it inspires me to be more creative, which makes me HAPPY! Which I spread to the people around me! so… THANK YOU!!!
PS. Thanks for intoducing me to Pinterest!
Adriane (aka the greenhorn) says
Loved this! I am lucky to have a tiny readership of friends so have not yet experienced a negative comment. However, my job at work is often face/voice of the company and I have plenty of people zing me as often as they can. It’s easy for my coworkers to put people on a sh!+ list and move on but I research and try to answer honestly as often as possible. Sometimes it backfires but I follow my Mom’s advise, too. She always told me as long as I do what I know is right and true, I’m safe. Love those Mommies’ wisdom :) Sometimes it’s hard, and I appreciate the reassurance!
anne says
Apologies if someone has already posted this, but have you read ‘The Four Agreements’ by Miguel Ruiz? I’m not one for new-agey stuff, but the advice in it is pretty sound.
I saw that thread on The Nest recently. I’ve been appalled by the negativity on the Internet lately – the “I’m anonymous, so therefore it’s ok to say this” attitude – and those posts demonstrated that.
I’m glad to see that most people love your humor, honesty, and advice!
YoungHouseLove says
I haven’t read it but thanks for the recommendation! It has 4 stars on Amazon so it looks like a must read!
xo,
s
Kiah says
Hi there, I just wanted to drop in and say what a great article I thought that was! I just started my second blog (www.DIYHomeBlogger.com) and I had to get use to a negative comment every now and then on my first blog… certainly takes some getting use to!
Anyways keep up the good work on the blog and keep churning out interesting and enlightening posts!!
:)
Jenny says
I have to be honest and say, yes its true I haven’t always liked everything I’ve seen design wise, but I have never said anything because, a) its your house and style, b) thats what matters most since its all yours. But I keep reading to see what your style and house will produce next! Its always exciting to see what you two dream of next.
houseofearnest says
Thank you. You guys are sweet and genuine, and I super appreciate this post!
James Olsen says
I know I am definately in the minority here being a guy and into all this DIY stuff, my wife and I both love the design aspects and love working on projects, I am just barely getting my blog off the ground, and the names I have been called specifically because I am a guy writing are horrible, it makes me sick to my stomach and frustrated to even write anything more…
It was nice to read this article it gives me hope about getting this all of the ground, hopefully without the hate…
Janae says
Great post – I got weepy about you getting weepy! You couldn’t have said it better…be yourself!! Every time I need cheering up I’m gonna refer back to this post. Love ya $herdog, J-Boom, “C to the Lara” and “B to the Urger” (sorry trying out nicknames for Clara and Burger)
YoungHouseLove says
We like it!
-John
Mary says
The spirit embodied in this post more than any tip, tutorial or adorable Clara photo is why I will read this blog daily for as long as it is published and why I will stand in line to buy your book.
You don’t just inpsire people to transform their homes, you also inspire us to transform our lives.
Thank you for sharing.
Alysha says
Wow! Well said! =) Your blog is inspiring. I needed to hear this, because I just started a blog this week. If you get a chance check it out. I have a cute bow and tutu DIY project: http://aparkspot.weebly.com/design-spot.html
YoungHouseLove says
Adorable! Happy blogging!
xo,
s
Ashleigh P says
You know…your tips apply to more than just blogging. If the whole world would adopt those simple rules in their life…ah what a place to be. Thanks $herdog, lol…and please ‘keep on keeping on’!
Maury @ Life on Mars says
Well all I have to say is – when my blog grows up, it wants to be just like Young House Love, so I think you’re great.
Meredith says
not like you need ANY more comments to add to the 1034 you already have here, but just wanted to say that you were spot on. my blog is just a tiny one for friends/family, so i haven’t had the “pleasure” of experiencing a negative comment, but it still blows my mind that people can’t keep that stuff to themselves. makes me think of Thumper’s mom– “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!” I just don’t get why they don’t stop reading if they don’t like it and instead feel that they need to spew! your blog is fab (i never can pull that off in actual speaking, but i love typing that word!) so keep it up!
James Olsen says
I never ceases to amaze me the cruelty of the average human being towards someone they have never met because of their success…
Melissa says
Challenge Issued:
You must make a chic and beautiful Christmas tree using nothing but tampon wrappers…Do you accept?
YoungHouseLove says
Hah, I don’t think I could work that – but someone said it gave them the idea to use candy wrappers which would be so cute!
xo,
s
Bridget says
I love this. THANK YOU.
Lara says
you know what… i don’t blog, but tip #4 sure helped me out today. thanks :)
Melissa says
I don’t think you can hear it enough, so I’ll be the 1,050 person (or so) to say you guys ROCK, I love your blog, you make me chuckle daily (thank you!) and I admire your outlook and perspective in forging onward, no matter what people say. There will always be naysayers in life, but those types of people are negative about everything, all the time! Kind of sad, really.
Just keep on, keepin’ on… :)
Marilu Luna says
I love your blog, your family, your ideas and your life. I think you two are so loving and energetic in every aspect of your life. You motivate me to do more. I envy you guys because you have each other to work with and rely on. I’m on my own and there are times when I work on a project I wish I had John around to help. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait for your book! :)
Lauren says
So I know you guys are incredibly busy right now, so please don’t feel like you need to read this or reply or anything. But your Care Bears underwear story reminded me of an unfortunate underwear/hospital story of my own.
I wrote about it today on my blog. It’s a pretty ridiculous story, so thanks for the reminder!
http://filingjointly.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-any-of-you-were-under-impression.html
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahahaha. Hilarious.
xo,
s
Morgan says
You guys are awesome. I read this post on my phone the other day but felt the need to come back and affirm that I love, love checking in with your little family on a regular basis. It’s especially wonderful to hear your thoughts on criticism and your positive attitude towards any unnecessary comments – I have thin skin and I need to work on that.
PS – I have mentioned this before but the only time I get just a slight bit bummed with a blog is when a reader takes the time to comment, email or ask a quick q and you hear crickets in return. I understand how busy our lives all are (I do, I do) but I respect you two so much for taking the time to interact with your readers! You guys make your readers feel loved and I think that that is one awesome factor in your fantastic following.
Alison says
love you guys so much. so so so SO much. and love these comments too, y’all are amazing! I’m bookmarking this post to read again (and again) whenever I have blog doubts. thanks Sherry! xoxoxo
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Alison! Love you right back!
xo,
s
Beth T. says
I’m reading this late but just wanted to chime in, because I’m sure that not a single reader would have done every single project the exact same way you would have, which is what makes you guys (and each of your readers, for that matter) so unique. The thing I love the most about your blog is that even when there are things that my personal taste would differ on, it is your creative process that inspires me. The way you find things or use ordinary items in special ways is what helps me to think differently about my own home and projects I decide to undertake. To me, it is all about learning and choosing to think creatively, so thank you for not being afraid to put yourselves out there! I’ve found inspiration in simply the way you go about doing your thang!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so kind of you to say Beth! Thanks.
xo,
s
Traci says
Sherry,
Just thought I would let you know that you inspired me to post my own sticky-note on my work computer yesterday! It is a nice constant reminder to maintain a constant positive outlook. This is especially helpful for me as I counsel children and adolescents with mental health and behavioral disorders. Thanks for sharing!
YoungHouseLove says
Awww, so glad to hear it Traci!
xo,
s
Juliet says
You guys are great, and your followers are crazy about you because you are who you are.
As most of the parental advice I ever received was of the wear clean underwear variety, it was helpful, but not that significant. One thing an older friend did tell me when I queried…does it ever get easier?…was to say that no, it usually gets more complicated, but you get much, much better at handling it. Best advice I have ever gotten.