Elevate.

Michelle Obama's message about how to respond to negativity runs through my mind quite often.

"When they go low, we go high."

We elevate ourselves, our intentions our integrity, and our message to rise above negative comments, when we go high. Michelle Obama's advice is essential. If you're putting yourself out there, online, in front of cameras, for all the world to see, you can expect to hear some criticism. How you respond or don't, is crucial for setting the tone of your personal brand, your small business, or non-profit.

My general rule, (which is not my rule, but something I learned from meditation practice), when hearing criticism, is to think, "Is it true or not? Do I have something to learn from this? Can I improve?"

If it's not true, depending on the criticism, a measured response, or to simply ignore, is the best policy. How do you handle criticism?