The haters will get to you

I read this post by Jon Acuff today. He's written on haters before, and I actually was thinking about the concept already because I had a "hater experience" this weekend. I recommend reading his post. He's good.

Here's what happened to me.

I'm a wedding coordinator on the weekends (not all weekends, just a handful or two a year). I work hard to bring what I believe is organization, enthusiasm, and professionalism to a bride and groom's wedding day. It's my job to worry about the details so that the couple and their family don't have to. This weekend was a special treat/challenge, as I got to coordinate a reception for the first time as well (I usually just do the church part of the day).

Even though I try to stay calm, cool, and collected, sometimes things get a little hectic in those moments before the bride heads down the aisle. This weekend was no exception. Those last few moments were rushed. I felt rushed and a little stressed, and I'm guessing that was obvious to those I interacted with. But, once they all got down the aisle everything went smoothly and it was a beautiful day. The ceremony ended and I felt pleased with the work we had done thus far.

As I was making sure all the guests found their way out after the ceremony, a guest, someone I have never met before, came up to me, out of his way, to say "Well, now it's over- you can chill out a little." I was put off. I just smiled and said thanks. I wanted to say "YOU TRY DOING THIS BUDDY - IT'S HARD!," but I did not.

THEN - to top it off, he managed to find me at the reception, and while I was grabbing a quick sip of coke for a little refreshment and energy as we were setting things up, he said to me "I hope you have rum in that so you can relax a little." His words were not said in kindness for my stress level. He wanted me to know he thought I was high strung. Or bossy. or something. (for the record, there was no rum. I don't drink while I'm working.)

This man was a hater. I received several kind compliments for my work this weekend, from friends, from strangers, from other staff, and from the bride's parents. But what do I remember? This guy.

So, I'm going to admit it. It hurt my feelings. It stung. But, as Jon Acuff reminds us, it means I care. If I didn't care about doing my job well, I wouldn't be hurt when someone made me question if I was doing it well. So, I'm going to remember what he said, keep doing my job well, and hopefully next time take the extra caution to remain as calm as I can in a hurried moment.

Thanks guy. You helped me remember I'm doing work I love.