Wednesday 13 August 2008

Changing Opinions...

Now I am on the train I will write a slightly longer response to the comments from the 'anonymice' elsewhere on this blog that I 'have a breathtaking inability to see myself as others see me'.

As the person who reads my postbag/email inbox, as well as receiving google alerts on myself for the past 3 years I think I am probably in the unique position of being the only one able to truly assess public opinion.

Immediately after RLD crashed I would agree there was a lot of hate - probably one piece of hate mail to every two messages of positive support.

These days there's still the odd nasty message (or blog comment) but for every negative one there are now 99 positive ones - whether in response to speeches I have made, from people who've read my book, taken my profiler or who I have helped in some way.

How have I done this? Through a three year long process of focusing my energy on helping people in the small business sector, being candid about my experiences and the associated emotions, and generally being accessible via my Blog as well as replying to my own emails ( rather than having a PA bat back responses).

The work continues, but I would suggest that it is the 'anonymice' who are the ones stuck in the past with the breathtaking inability to see that their views on me are old and outdated.

Time to move on guys don't you think?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am beginning to understand the reasons of not being anonymous. Going back some weeks now there where a lot of comments about myself and BX, when we where anonymous. Now as a regular reader of your blogs I see the anonymous cropping up and yes it would be nice to know more about them. I myself wished to remain anonymous back then because, yes, I will admit I was scared!. Being that I had been S... on in the past and have become very, hmm, shall we say distrusting of people. But slowly, thanks to you Rachel I am becoming a little more trusting. So to all those anonymous, give us all a clue of who or what you are.

Anonymous said...

I am beginning to understand the reasons of not being anonymous. Going back some weeks now there where a lot of comments about myself and BX, when we where anonymous. Now as a regular reader of your blogs I see the anonymous cropping up and yes it would be nice to know more about them. I myself wished to remain anonymous back then because, yes, I will admit I was scared!. Being that I had been S... on in the past and have become very, hmm, shall we say distrusting of people. But slowly, thanks to you Rachel I am becoming a little more trusting. So to all those anonymous, give us all a clue of who or what you are.

TheDLOG

Anonymous said...

Oh, forgot, further more if the anonymice are intent on just posting 'nasties' then stand up and be counted!

TheDLOG

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't even bother giving the troll-like, 'anonymice' of this world the satisfaction of knowing you've spent time on a post mentioning them.

The online world is changing and those who fail to be transparent only make others wonder what such 'anonymice' are trying to hide and ultimately their ponderings are ignored.

Anonymous said...

Fear separates the one from the many. With the advent of the internet the many can become the very many. One man or woman can TAKE ON 10 billion different personas. Whether you label them anonymous or Rachel, Mr Robot or anything else.

Where is there fixed identity anymore? Where are the fixed reference points and what really do they mean?

When they finally get around to issuing us with an ID card, will it say that my name is also SexySamantha323@hotmail.com from Miami and a million others like her? And what about the robots that operate on our behalf. Have they biometrically eye scanned them too?

No. I have a sense of Rachel, yet i don't really know her, as she has a sense of me. But doesn't really know me.

Anonymous, don't be scared. Come out, come out wherever you are.

No one can truly know you, but you.

Anonymous means "i'm scared".

Anonymous said...

Stephen, I trust this does not apply to TheDLOG?

TheDLOG

Anonymous said...

I could'nt say.
I don't really know TheDLOG.
Never will.
Who can ever?
But TheDLOG.

You are on your own there.
But i wish (ALL OF YOUR MANY PERSONAS), the very best.

Anonymous said...

Stephen, why will you never know the TheDLOG. "Who can ever"? Rachel, as she took the plunge, so to speak and noew she knows!!

TheDLOG

Rachel Elnaugh said...

DLOG I think Stephen means truly know you, only you can truly know you; other peoples opinions of you will always be tainted by their own prejudices and belief systems.

That's why I laugh out loud when Red Letter Days employees claim 'I know Rachel well'. They don't know me now and they didn't know me then. Not any of them.

Anonymous said...

Although peoples opinions of you maybe tainted I still appreciate others opinions. Also what he/you are really saying is that not even our spouse' know who we are truly. Now I am worried, I thought I new my wife and girls inside out!!

TheDLOG

Anonymous said...

What is said by the billion personas of a person in play, is not necessarily the truth, all of the time.

We are all different shades of colour. How can one person honestly ever say that they can honestly know another? How can they honestly say this unless their relationship has been tested under different conditions. And then people change in time to.

The compelling thing about Rachel is that she has clearly learnt a lot about loss. Even more compelling is that she bears her scares for all to see.

How many people can you honestly say has ever done that? I can think of only one and she was killed in a car crash in Paris all those years ago.

For all those people who feel aggrieved about Rachel i say..

Get a life. Go and build an innovative business and pay everyones mortgages for years. Grow up.

Anonymous said...

Well Stephen, I hope I have not aggrieved Rachel in any way, or have been disrespectful. If she or anyone else felt that I had done so then I would really like to know, particuarlly as I hate upsetting any one and will always look to a way so as to avoid any upset or confrontation.

TheDLOG

Anonymous said...

I have found that ideation is a very good way of encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit.

But instead of visualising the most extraordinary successes ahead of you. Visualise the most castrophic failures.

Woops, there goes the business, there goes the career. Woops, there goes the money and reputation. Woops, was that my wife that just went past the window...

Its a really great way of learning about a loss. By the time you finished, you've either slit your wrists - or your balls (sorry ladies), just got a lot hairier...

ha! No problems with anything TheDlog!

Anonymous said...

Catastrophic failures and things going wrong, by god have I had some of them, if only at those times I had some one to really talk to, things I am sure I would not have taken the 'bad' road that they did! It is probably in recent years that I have started to feel/think the way I do. And yes I have to say it again, Rachel if only you knew what you have done for me!
Many, many thanks to all.

TheDLOG

Anonymous said...

Rachel

I am one of the aforementioned rodents. I don't agree with everything you say but heh it would be boring if we all agreed all the time. But I do hope my posts have not offended anyone though.

C

Anonymous said...

Hello, anybody there or has someone p@&^$( someone off

Anonymous said...

focusing on the positive, and visualisation are the most powerful tools one can have in solving a problem or dealing with negativity
think about this quote!
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare"
I am a strong believer in the following
"believing the impossible is possible"
Rachel had her business problems,and then the public backlash! it is so easy to kick a man when they are down! ..but remember they all rise up again!!!

Anonymous said...

I like yopur qoutes, her eis another to think about;

"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, he who does not is a fool for life".

TheDLOG