Fine, I'll take the bait.
When you open yourself up, when you take a stance, when you call people on their shit, you open yourself up to criticism. I have had my fair share of insults and scrutiny over the years. Some justified, some not. But most I chose not to respond to. Mostly because I know that when people smell blood in the water, the sharks some running to prey on what they might see as weakness. And as shitty as this may sound, your opinion doesn’t matter to me. But I live my life the best I can and I while I listen to your criticism, it does not deter my course. And stating the obvious: my opinion of your life shouldn’t matter either.
Like I have said many times before, the posts I write are mostly about me. My flaws, shortcomings, and continual failures. I am not perfect nor have I ever claimed to be as such. But again, I try - and that is what matters. If you take something I write to heart, cool. If not, that’s cool as well. I would never tell you what to do or how to live your life because we all have our own journeys. If I offend you, well that is not my intent. But if I motivate you in my own “Chris” way, well that IS my intent.
Recently a friend of mine wrote some pretty harsh words about me. Again, some justified, some not. The 2005 Chris wants to tear the entire thing apart one paragraph at a time like a scorned girlfriend, because the truth is, a lot of what she had to say was true. Yes, I have slacked and fallen back into old habits. And sure, I could sit back and give a million excuses about a lack of money, depression, and a faltering fan-base, but the truth is, she is right - I am not trying as hard as I know I can. Sometimes it stings to hear, but hey, if I can dish it out I should be able to take it as well.
But hearing it from a friend always cuts a little deeper. Anonymous comments are met with a shrug and a click of the mouse, ones with a full signature sink in and keep me awake at night. So when she said that I didn’t recall her name, that she felt blown off, and that I disappoint fans - well that is just an outright lie.
I feel like I have said this many times before, and while I don’t feel the need to justify my actions, I will this time because of all the things, this is what bothers me most. Through a combination of luck and extremely hard work, I have made a small, yet extremely loyal pack of crazy and insane little friends. Some I have only given a passing hug, some I have come to call some of my best friends, and some I have yet to meet. I care about you. About what you’re doing with your life and where you’re headed. I like knowing you are still on this planet, not to buy books but that you still have your head in the game and you’re still alive to make me smile with your emails and creativity. And yes, there has been the rare occasion where I don’t get to spend the amount of time with people that deserve it. This goes not just for the people who spend their last $10 on a book, or drive four hours to see me, or who even share the same last name. This happens to most of the people in my life. I spread myself thin - intentionally so. I am lucky to have a lot of people in my life. I am extremely lucky to have a small line of people wanting to buy my book. And it’s difficult to share my time in a fair manner and along the way some people will be offended. This has been an issue before, and believe me, if I knew the magic solution I would have done it a long time ago.
If my words offend you, address them. If you want to question my character, that’s fine as well. I always welcome constructive criticism.
But don’t you dare question my commitment to the people who have helped me get where I am and support me in my ridiculous little dream. I have never once mocked a fan. I have never peaced out immediately unless there was genuine reason, and I read every single comment, email, and blog post you’ve written about me. It’s the very least I could do for those who help me live this life.
If you have felt slighted, if you were bummed that I didn’t remember your name, or if you feel that I disrespected you, please accept my most sincere apologies. Trust that it was never intentional. But I am human and sometimes not as sensitive to people as I wish I could be. No matter how long I do this, I will never know who needs more time and who just wants me to shut the fuck up.
And if this bothers you, well you might not want to blame the messenger.
Like I have said many times before, the posts I write are mostly about me. My flaws, shortcomings, and continual failures. I am not perfect nor have I ever claimed to be as such. But again, I try - and that is what matters. If you take something I write to heart, cool. If not, that’s cool as well. I would never tell you what to do or how to live your life because we all have our own journeys. If I offend you, well that is not my intent. But if I motivate you in my own “Chris” way, well that IS my intent.
Recently a friend of mine wrote some pretty harsh words about me. Again, some justified, some not. The 2005 Chris wants to tear the entire thing apart one paragraph at a time like a scorned girlfriend, because the truth is, a lot of what she had to say was true. Yes, I have slacked and fallen back into old habits. And sure, I could sit back and give a million excuses about a lack of money, depression, and a faltering fan-base, but the truth is, she is right - I am not trying as hard as I know I can. Sometimes it stings to hear, but hey, if I can dish it out I should be able to take it as well.
But hearing it from a friend always cuts a little deeper. Anonymous comments are met with a shrug and a click of the mouse, ones with a full signature sink in and keep me awake at night. So when she said that I didn’t recall her name, that she felt blown off, and that I disappoint fans - well that is just an outright lie.
I feel like I have said this many times before, and while I don’t feel the need to justify my actions, I will this time because of all the things, this is what bothers me most. Through a combination of luck and extremely hard work, I have made a small, yet extremely loyal pack of crazy and insane little friends. Some I have only given a passing hug, some I have come to call some of my best friends, and some I have yet to meet. I care about you. About what you’re doing with your life and where you’re headed. I like knowing you are still on this planet, not to buy books but that you still have your head in the game and you’re still alive to make me smile with your emails and creativity. And yes, there has been the rare occasion where I don’t get to spend the amount of time with people that deserve it. This goes not just for the people who spend their last $10 on a book, or drive four hours to see me, or who even share the same last name. This happens to most of the people in my life. I spread myself thin - intentionally so. I am lucky to have a lot of people in my life. I am extremely lucky to have a small line of people wanting to buy my book. And it’s difficult to share my time in a fair manner and along the way some people will be offended. This has been an issue before, and believe me, if I knew the magic solution I would have done it a long time ago.
If my words offend you, address them. If you want to question my character, that’s fine as well. I always welcome constructive criticism.
But don’t you dare question my commitment to the people who have helped me get where I am and support me in my ridiculous little dream. I have never once mocked a fan. I have never peaced out immediately unless there was genuine reason, and I read every single comment, email, and blog post you’ve written about me. It’s the very least I could do for those who help me live this life.
If you have felt slighted, if you were bummed that I didn’t remember your name, or if you feel that I disrespected you, please accept my most sincere apologies. Trust that it was never intentional. But I am human and sometimes not as sensitive to people as I wish I could be. No matter how long I do this, I will never know who needs more time and who just wants me to shut the fuck up.
And if this bothers you, well you might not want to blame the messenger.