4 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start Ranting Online

When people get fired up about something, there's one place they typically turn: the Internet.

Whether someone spouts off an aggressive Facebook status or throws down in the notoriously merciless comments section of a site, the fact is that meanness is just about everywhere online. It's become so common, it's almost accepted -- and life coach Iyanla Vanzant has a specific term for what sparks these tirades.

"We have this thing called 'keyboard courage,'" she says. "We can type things in our journal or on our blog or on social media that are so mean and ugly."

But before you start ranting online, Iyanla suggests asking yourself four important things; if you can't answer "yes" to these questions, then you might want to step away from the computer.

1. Is it kind?
2. Is it loving?
3. Is it necessary?
4. Can I say it in a way that I would want to hear it?

Of course, if it's too difficult to remember four different questions, Iyanla says the whole point can also be summed up in just three easy-to-remember words:

Stop being mean.

Meanness isn't an energy you want to put forth into the world -- even for your own sake, she points out.

"Everything you think, everything you do, everything you say is coming back to you," Iyanla says. "Ten-fold."

More advice from Iyanla:

4 steps to overcoming your deepest insecurities