Dealing with criticism can be difficult. Sometimes it can be a little awkward hearing commentary about yourself, whether it’s unintentional or purposely delivered. But you can hear those comments and still go after the dreams of your choice. Just because someone questions your motives for achieving something or your ability to do so doesn’t mean you have to believe what they’re saying. Self-limiting beliefs are only controlled by you and going along with what someone else says is in your control as well.
You have to embrace criticism before you try to attain something for the betterment of your life. Here’s why: Criticism is human nature and you cannot control the beliefs of others so just accept it and move on. I think it’s a complete waste of time to try to convince someone to have a certain opinion of you when more than likely they never will.
There are many types of criticisms and I will discuss how to deal with a few and still get maximum effort from yourself to go after the things in life that you’ve always wanted.
Dealing With Constructive Criticism in the Workplace
One place where you will get constructive criticism is in the workplace. The “higher-ups” are notorious for it because they might be somewhat pressured by their bosses to get maximum results. You might not be able to escape criticism at work because your surroundings are conducive to reaching and accomplishing certain goals that the company has put forward. Once you establish the threshold of becoming successful in that environment, then it can benefit your time at that company by possibly getting a promotion or an even better job with a different firm.
If your supervisor or manager needs to make a change that he or she sees fit for the betterment of the company but you are not generating their expected outcome, then criticism is bound to happen. Just listen to what they have to say and converse with them to see how you can do your job better. They might talk to you in an unprofessional way but keep your cool as much as possible and try to accept whatever that’s said within reason the best you can. Though many situations can arise in the workplace, being prepared to deal with constructive criticism should help the overall work environment because your job can be done better and it could benefit you later.
Understanding Random Positive Criticism
Having great intentions and helping others is the essence of positive criticism. A well-intended evaluation from someone you respect can be the difference between success and failure. For instance, one of the people that I pay very close attention to is Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income blog and podcast. I don’t know him personally but if he randomly took a sneak peek at my web properties and tweeted some advice to me about how to better it then I would assume that he wants to see me improve that portion of my business. I would also be inspired to listen to advice from someone that is obviously an expert in that area and then turn a few cartwheels because it would be a great gesture as well.
Using Destructive Criticism to Your Advantage
Staying focused on any goal can be challenging, especially when someone is voicing their displeasure with you by virtue of threats or any other personal way. Use it to your advantage or simply ignore it because it’s a battle that you most likely won’t win. I’m not suggesting to disregard someone that is threatening you with bodily harm but find a place psychologically to store that type of criticism so that it can somehow energize you. If you’re the type of person who can find a way to not let destructive criticism ruin you and rise above negativity, then you are one step closer to possibly making a dream come true for yourself.
Stay Focused on Your Dream and Prepare for Criticism
It’s hard enough to stay focused on one course and ignore the naysayers to achieve something that is self-gratifying. There are so many things in our life that can easily derail us from reaching the proverbial “mountaintop.” Whatever that “dream” is for you keep pushing no matter what because criticism will definitely accompany it, so be prepared. Understanding criticism may help you cope with and stay on course to do something great.
*Article First Appeared on The Good Men Project on October 6, 2018
