Don't Be Afraid of the Critics

 We’ve all been there – that dreaded moment when someone chooses to criticize you. It’s usually uncomfortable, sometimes unpleasant, and often it’s something you weren’t prepared to receive.

The next time someone criticizes you, I want you to remind yourself of something. Criticism is actually a compliment. Do you find that hard to believe?

Let me put it to you this way. It can mean one of two things. First – the person who is criticizing you finds you valuable. If they didn’t – if they thought you were a “lost cause” or that there was no point in wasting time on you – they wouldn’t criticize you in the first place.

Second, it could also mean that you simply stood out. That you have values you are following, opinions you believe in, or that you have just in general risen above the crowd. Those who blend in with everyone else rarely get criticized. 

Sure, the easy thing to do would be to blend in. The easy thing would be to go along with what everyone else said, and be another one of the herd. But that is not what you were put on this earth to do. Criticism is not necessarily a bad thing. Listen to it, don’t react negatively to it, and give it time to sink in. Take any points you can from it, and disregard the rest. Then give yourself a pat on the back for being worth someone’s time to criticize.