How to Do a Better Job of Handling People Telling You How You Can Do a Better Job!
My friend, Critica, always has something Critical to say about my new ideas.
Here’s a little snapshot of our recent conversation:
ME: Hey Critica, I was thinking of writing a book!
CRITICA: What makes someone like you think you can write a book?
ME: Well, I’m on a podcast, I thought I could write a book too.
CRITICA: That idea sucks!
ME: I’m just going to ignore that destructive comment.
CRITICA: Whatever.
ME: I was thinking the book title should be “How to Accept Criticism.”
CRITICA: Well, a book on criticism might be nice, but a catchier title might help.
ME: “How You Can Do a Better Job of Handling People Telling You How
You Can Do a Better Job.”
CRITICA: Now, you might be on to something!
Critica likes to Criticize—it’s just who she is—it’s even in her name.
But, there are two types of criticism going on in this dialogue.
Saying something “sucks” is NOT constructive—it’s negative, destructive, and not helpful! On the other hand, “a catchier title might help” is constructive criticism that I can use to make my book better! I learned a long time ago how to use her constructive tips to help me while dumping the rest.
Another good tip is making sure that we are not the ones giving ourselves any destructive criticism or negative self-talk. Anytime I hear that negative tape playing in my head, I switch over to a more positive mode.
Finally, I’ve learned that “tweak” is a cool word. Sometimes a little criticism leads to a little tweak here and there. Remember, every good invention needed tweaks, famous recipes were enhanced by tweaks. Lots of things have room for improvement, and those improvements make our lives more beautiful, more comfortable and more delicious!
Improve the way you view self-improvement by listening to our podcast on how we finally learned to accept a little criticism with a whole lot of class.
