be receptive to both sides. and make it work for you.
a query came up regarding criticism.
...or in this case, the art of receiving criticism.
now, anyone who's dealt with me knows that i would
have no qualms about criticizing you, and i'd do it
directly, indirectly, mean, nice, depending on the situation.
well, the important thing to keep in mind of, is the spirit
of that criticism. do it when there are valid concerns to
address, do it when there are mistakes to be avoided,
do it to get things running better, do it when you can get
even 1% of a productive result. don't do it if it's mean spirited.
...do it for the right reasons.
now, the flipside of this is for me to receive criticism itself.
a natural reaction would be negative of course. after all,
we're all human beings. it's a natural reaction to feel peeved.
however, the 1st thing to do is to go back to the spirit of it.
so for every piece of criticism, i need to put faith that it was
done in order to be constructive, instead of to be mean to me.
now, in all these years, through lots of experiences,
i've managed to train myself to look at things this way;
1. have faith in the person who's delivering the criticism. there
might be something there that i've actually missed. and the person
criticizing me is actually someone who cares about me.
2. if it's purely negative or nonconstructive criticism; it
doesn't change what i'm pursuing, because i have faith in what
i'm doing itself. and this is what i mean by that;
2a. i know what i'm doing, i know what my objectives are,
i know why i'm doing it, so no-one can discourage me.
2b. i know that things take time, and i might not get the
results i want as quickly as i want, but it's ok, because a
lot of things in life takes effort and time.
2c. there's often more than 1 way to get where i want to be.
and i trust that i often have to go through a natural process
or through a lot of steps. and that's ok.
3. if it's positive or constructive criticism, even better! and
this is what i mean by that;
3a . by having external criticism, i might find additional truths
or additional benefits and it'll just ADD to the objectives i want!
3b. by getting criticized, i can realize new ways to improve and
to reach my objectives and goals faster than what i 1st thought!
3c. by receiving criticism, i can find new or better ways and
processes and steps in order to achieve my dreams!
so there, provide criticism for the right reasons, and learn to
receive and how to handle both positive and negative ones.
...it'll definitely make you a better person, trust me!
