“When someone tries to provoke you, don’t be provoked. When someone isn’t even trying to provoke you, but you feel provoked anyway, don’t be provoked. When your opponents are trying to get you to talk about something, it’s probably because you shouldn’t. You don’t have to respond to everything. You can decide what your agenda is, and what your message is, and do your best to focus on that.”
— Tom Hamilton
Wise words from Tom Hamilton. The non-response is so often the best response.
Not only does it allow you to move on to more important, meaningful matters, but for the person hoping to provoke you, it causes them to wait, wonder, and spin.
This is often more painful than the perfect comeback. Being ignored can be devastating.
In fact, I love the trolls. Every time I receive a scathing email, an angry post on social media, or any other bite-sized bit of hatred or cruelty — which happens from time to time, and sometimes daily — I think:
“I’m over here, making something of worth. Writing a book. Crafting a story. Creating a digital product. Penning a column. Publishing another blog post. Teaching a child. Consulting with a client. Designing a workshop. And you? You’re wasting your precious time spewing ugliness, which is ephemeral, meaningless, and will ultimately yield you nothing in terms of reputation, profit, or attention. Huzzah!”
Every troll is one less creator against whom I must compete.
Every troll is one less thoughtful producer of wisdom, words, and content.
When I see a troll, I see someone irrelevant and trivial.
Trolls — when ignored — become non-entities. Their power is derived from attention and response.
As Tom Hamilton wisely said:
When someone tries to provoke you, don’t be provoked.
Instead, make something meaningful. Or beautiful. Or unforgettable. Maybe even profitable.
