Occasional Criticism Is Just Part Of Life

Being criticized is part of being human. Even people held in such high esteem as Gandhi and Mother Teresa have been criticized.

Rest assured, so will you be occasionally criticized, including by those who are closest to you because they are with you most and know you best.

And as none of us is perfect, there will always be things to criticize.

Ideally there are two effective ways to deal with criticism. One way is to greet it with a smile, thank the person for sharing his or her perspective with you and indicate you'll take it under advisement. Then in good conscience, if you think it lacks merit, forget about it.

Your positive response will dissipate the energy behind the criticism.

The other effective way to deal with criticism is to sit down with this person and have a heart to heart talk. Be a good listener as this person explains why he or she feels as they do, and how they think this criticism will benefit you. Then you can decide what if anything you intend to do and inform them.

That he or she was critical of you doesn't mean they don't love and respect you. This person may have something to suggest to benefit you or as often happens, may have been critical at a time when they were angry, defensive, insecure or going through some other problem.

So don't strike back. This criticism isn't the end of the world, it's just someone's opinion at a moment in time. As long as you remember that it's just someone's opinion, you can readily deal with it and not allow it to hurt you, even if it feels personal.

Think of how many best selling books were at first turned away by publishers who claimed the writing was no good. Think of all the businesses that later became huge successes after critics claimed they would never amount to anything.

Criticism is just part of life and a part of our journey of personal growth. Criticism comes with being human so smile and don't take it so personally.

Dick