No matter whom you are or what you do in life, there will always be those who will offer criticism as to what it is you are doing and how you are doing it. It is for this reason that it is vital for us to learn to accept criticism and be able to distinguish between constructive and destructive criticism.
Criticism can be very much a double-edged sword and the way you choose to handle it will make the world of difference as to what power you allow it to have in your life. We all know that there is constructive criticism, which is given by the other person so as to offer you guidance and suggestions as to how you might improve and then destructive criticism which normally comes out of envy or other forms of negative emotions and is intended to humiliate you, you could almost call it a type of personal attack with words.
Unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way you choose to look at it, we will never be able to go through life without being exposed to criticism, so it is essential that you begin to accept criticism and learn how to handle it in a positive way whether it be positive or negative criticism.
The reason why I say this is that the way you choose to handle criticism will have a very big impact on the effect which you allow it to have on you and your growth as a person. If we are able to understand the Kaizen Principle, then we know that if you are not growing as a person, then you are dying and it is this continuous and persistent strive to become better and better as a person everyday that makes it essential for us to learn how to accept this criticism and make it part of our growth cycle.
We must understand that to be able to have a life of well being and abundance, in other words a life filled with Kaizen Wealth, we need to make sure that all areas of our life are growing in harmony and by allowing criticism to cause negative emotions and mindsets in our being, we are restricting our growth in certain areas.
We need to realize that we are only in control of our own thoughts, actions and choices, nothing we do or say will be able to change anything in the lives or perceptions of those around us unless they make the choice to allow it to do so, so getting into heated arguments and disagreements over other peoples opinions and the criticism which they choose to give will bring us no closer to achieving our goals and dreams.
Here is a bit of advice as to how one can go about learning to accept criticism in your life and how you can actually use this criticism to grow and better yourself:
- Categorize the criticism – As we said before, there are two types of criticism, negative and positive, the first thing you will need to do in order to be able to grow from criticism is to learn how to categorize the type of criticism which it is.
Many people allow themselves to be negatively influenced by any criticism which they receive all together, you need to evaluate the critical comment which has been directed at you and who it is that has made the comment.
Criticism which comes in the form of a personal attack is generally negative criticism and is no good for you, you immediately need to recognize it for what it is and simply not allow it to bring about negative emotions or mindsets within yourself and simply move on and not allow it to take hold on in your life.
Take the time to actually determine the quality of the criticism and decide for yourself whether it is constructive or destructive before you make any response what so ever.
- If it is negative criticism choose how to respond – Should you determine that the criticism which you are receiving is negative and holds no truth, how you choose to respond is likely to make all the difference.
Very often we will allow our emotions determine this, but this might not always be the right option, there is a method which is called distracting which we might choose to use, this entails calmly acknowledging what the person has said so that they are aware that you heard them without giving them the pleasure of seeing that it might have upset you.
This can be done by simply saying something such as “You might be right” or “Thank you for your opinion” but then leave it at that and don’t take it any further. You have acknowledged their comment and not left the gate open for the topic to go any further, by doing so you have avoided unnecessary confrontation. Then simply sweep the critical comment from your mind and allow it to have no further negative effect on you.
- If the criticism is constructive, use it – This is the true opportunity for you to grow through the criticism of others and your ability to recognize constructive criticism is very important to your growth.
Very often those who care about us and our well being will offer criticism which is aimed at helping us and in these situations it is best to acknowledge the criticism by responding with “Thank you for that advice” or “You are right, I am sorry”, by doing this you are acknowledging that you might have been wrong and by doing so take ownership of the problem in a calm and mature fashion.
You then need to take action on what it is that has been said to you and find ways to actually apply the Kaizen Principle and improve on whatever it was that you had been doing incorrectly. This is where the growth comes in because you have taken action so as to improve yourself and correct what might have been holding you back.
- If you are not sure if the criticism was positive or negative – In this situation you will need to ask the person delivering the criticism to elaborate a bit more so that you can fully understand what it is that they are saying so as to make your decision as to determine how you will handle it.
This is also very important as it will help you clarify the criticism and if it is positive criticism, you will know immediately what it is that is expected of you and this will save you a lot of time trying to find out how to correct the situation. If it is negative, simply let it go.
The big secret as to being able to accept criticism is for you not to allow it to affect you personally and always to handle it in a calm and mature fashion, this automatically puts the control back in your hands and will help you to determine whether you can actually grow from the criticism or whether it is a waste of precious time which should simply be swept aside.
Always remember, you have no control over those around you, but you ultimately are the only one who has control over yourself, allowing the criticism of others to negatively affect you ultimately means you are handing over control of your goals and dreams to others and this is not the action of a Wealth Creator.
Be sure to keep the control of your own decisions, thoughts and actions in your own hands so as to be able to be responsible for them and very soon you will realize that by doing this you are growing on a daily basis.