No matter whether you are subscribed to reading this blog, or you just happened to end up here while searching on Google, chances are you are intrigued, to say at least, about the idea of self-improvement.
And being the way you are, you are either obsessed about trying to change and improve some aspects of your live, or maybe even walking that walk as we speak. You see, it all starts, as you may even know by now, by a single idea; a single vision embedded in your mind, that represents a broader, more improved version of yourself, what you can do, what you can achieve, what you can be.
And that idea, if allowed to expand, if nurtured appropriately, spreads like a wild fire and catches almost every aspect of your persona, your entire being. If headed in the right direction, that idea spreads- into action, habit, dedication, and finally reality and success.
But while we think that progress is inevitable, some obstacles occur down the road, and they know to threaten our progress, distort our vision, and distract us from the right direction of movement.
If you start to improve you are catching the attention
When you are starting with something good, with something that brings you one bar higher on your way to success, things always tend to go south, right? Some may argue that it’s Murphy’s Law in practice, but truth be told, it’s something slightly more complex, and less of a voodoo.
If you are starting to make changes you are more than likely to make progress. It’s a given. And as soon as this happens, you are slightly detaching yourself from status quo, thus leaving the herd.
And here comes the harsh reality- people don’t like to see someone different. Many of us are just plain scared of acknowledging that someone has done things differently and had better results.
Many are afraid of seeing in you what they, themselves, lack. What they, themselves, are still unable to surpass, try, achieve… And this fact is painful.
So it happens that you are starting to become a mirror, in a way, to all that they are lacking, all that they were afraid to try, all that they are still afraid of.
The initial response would then of course be rejection, disapproval, denial… And then all of us are able to sleep well, right?
And all this taken into consideration, dealing with criticism becomes hard. And if you decide to kneel before it, you’ve gave your shot, and the chance for progress falls short.
So you must remain the change agent in your own life by learning how to react on such criticism, and eventually deal with it.
Dealing with criticism is crucial for your self-improvement
There are two ways of dealing with criticism.
The first is to detach yourself from the dogma, and that is living your life by what other people think of you, and the second is convincing them they are wrong, and beating them in their own game.
And here is the interesting part- no matter which approach is taken, since they are opposed to one another, there is one common practice you must follow. And that practice would be discipline through the act of consistence.
Habit and discipline give birth to results, right? Therefore, you should just keep going forward reflecting dedication, passion, commitment – traits that encapsulate success.
And even if you are still thinking how will this deal with criticism, you will find your answer as soon as you feel the first results.
With the traits mentioned above results are a given. And as soon as they come, criticism falls short.
Practical tips on how to deal with criticism
All above may sound like a flowery prose, but in reality things know to get rough.
You can happen to loose motivation, passion, self-esteem, grip on your goal.
So for such times, here are couple of suggestions:
- Motivate yourself
This alone can give you the power to deal with any criticism. Just think about your goal; in terms of material, spiritual, emotional, physical.
Make a folder in your computer and have a different subfolder for any of the things mentioned above.
In one you can put pictures about your idea of success in financial terms- what would you like to buy- your favorite piece of anything, your dream car, your dream house. In the other maybe how would you like to look… Then maybe all the places you want to visit, or all the things you would like to try. You see, just by glimpsing through these folders, you will motivate yourself to keep pushing through any obstacle, keep fighting criticism.
You can also read some of the best success quotes and sayings available.
- Find support
Find a group, or a friend, or even an online community, where people have the similar understandings as you, and where you can get a firmer perception on whether or not the criticism you are going through is justifiable, real…
More often than not, you will see that you were right, and that there are others like you going through the same process of initial rejection, just because they were not afraid to have a try.
- Practice what you love
Do your thing, it will give you peace of mind, and enhance your passion. It will remind you why you are doing the things you are doing, and fill you with desire for more.
When professional athletes are put on the bench and not in the starting line, they never despair and quit. NO. Instead, the first thing they do is adding some alone practice sessions, where not only they do their thing, but where they get themselves reminded why they are there at the first place.
- Think for a moment
The better you get, the more you will have to be dealing with criticism. Therefore, think about this and try not to get upset by it. Realize that people criticize what they don’t understand, what they don’t see in them. In order to sleep sound at night, many will try to criticize you, diminish your achievements, even ridicule you. But remember that if you take this by hearth you immediately shift from your current position, to the level they are at- and that is uncertainty and trying to devalue real success, just in order not to have to confront their lack of it.
Dealing with criticism is never easy, but you can learn how to deal with it, only by staying dedicated and passionate about the things you are after, the things you are pursuing. Creating this shield, no criticism can bring you down, or make you question your goals. And only by being persistent, your dedication and habits can give birth to success. Be passionate, be dedicated, be free from dogma, and you can deal with criticism.