Handling Criticism
Being criticized never feels good. It can make you feel judged, as though you’re not good enough no matter how hard you try. Most people’s reaction to criticism is to get defensive, make excuses, or blame someone else. None of those options are especially constructive.
It’s up to you how you choose to react to criticism. You can see it as a personal attack, or you can embrace it, get the positives out of it, and move on. If you feel skeptical about criticism having any benefits, here are some excellent reasons why you should embrace it.
1 – Use Criticism for Personal Growth
Often, criticism has more than a grain of truth in, even if it’s delivered a bit harshly. That’s partly why it makes you uncomfortable-deep down it rings true, even if you don’t want to admit it. Continue reading
325Nobody likes to be criticized. It hurts to be called out, whether it’s for a mistake, a flaw, or a weakness. After all, you do your best, you work hard, and you always try to get it right. Everyone makes mistakes or missteps. Everyone has things they’re not so good at, so criticism is inevitable. The secret lies in how you handle it. You can choose to be reactive and angry, or you decide to handle it in a much more emotionally intelligent way.
Emotional intelligence means you recognize and acknowledge your emotions, and you know how to handle them. Here are five ways people with emotional intelligence don’t react when they are criticized.
1 – They Don’t Minimize
It’s natural to react to criticism by trying to make yourself a smaller target by saying it wasn’t really such a big deal. Don’t make that your first reaction. Give yourself some time to analyze whether or not the criticism is valid. If someone thought the issue was important enough to mention, there might be something in there for you to learn from. Continue reading
