I just got off the phone with my Mom and she just assured me that there is no one in the world that doesn’t like me. That’s what Mom’s do. It’s her job to pump me full of confidence (as if I need any more) and protect me from the mean, terrible world… or something.

Luckily, I have grown up a smidgen and am aware that the world kind of sucks and there are plenty of people out there that don’t like who I am. Some of you reading this now might be doing so just so that you can scoff and laugh at the dumb shit I say. I will try my best to not disappoint you.

Nevertheless, having people dislike you isn’t an easy thing to stomach. I still remember how freaked out / hurt / confused I was when someone went to town terrorizing my OKCupid profile. I may be awesome but I’m not invincible. I imagine the criticism would have been even harder to handle had it been even remotely valid.

The important thing to know is that these people exist. There are the ones that hate you just to hate you. There are the ones that you have wronged. There are the ones that just like to hate everyone. Then there are those that are generally put off by you and your personality.

It happens.

I’ve encountered several people in my time that just rub me the wrong way. Sure, I was never mean or openly hostile towards them, but I’d avoid them if I could. It’s like they think and communicate so differently that I cannot comprehend a single sentence coming out of their mouths.

It happens.

And haters gonna hate. There’s nothing you or I can do about it. Sure, you could attempt to make people like you but that sounds exhausting and probably has limited results. So why not let your freak flag fly? Really put it out there. Just be you and be happy to be you. The people that love you will continue to love you and they are the only people that should matter.

Here are some helpful tips when dealing with haters:

• Apologize when you’re wrong. Whether they accept it is up to them.
• Carry a puppy around with you. It makes it infinitely harder to hate someone.
• Never be dumb enough to publish your every thought on a public blog.
• Try to like yourself more than other people hate you. It’s like evening out the universe.
• Someone will always be smarter than you. Don’t get down on yourself when you’re proven wrong.
• Offer someone some Fireball whiskey and you will instantly make a new friend.
• Don’t puke in other people’s cars. They don’t like it and they will hate you.
• Just because your friend doesn’t want to listen to Call Me Maybe on repeat, doesn’t mean they hate you.
• Don’t be a grinch and make sure your heart is big enough that people can see you don’t suck on the inside.
• Dance. If you can’t beat them, just dance.

I hope everyone takes this advice seriously. It’s from 26 years of experience.

Wetter out!