Advice – Criticise

Everyone’s a critic

by Lee Hudson.

Have we become a critical society?

Have the likes of Simon Cowell and chums who earn a living from being as brutally ‘honest’ as it takes… to help keep their TV ratings as high as possible… made our society become even more judgemental and unsympathetic? Or are we a nation of shrinking violets and sensitive little flowers who simply cannot cope with any form of disapproval?

If you’re one of those people that can’t take criticism… simply because you are always right… then this item isn’t for you. However, if you are one of that number who take any criticism personally, and let it affect them deeply, then maybe these few thoughts might be able to help you put things in perspective:

1.            Ask yourself – is the criticism real or imagined?

2.            Is the criticism coming from someone you respect?

3.            Do you need to let that person have such power over you that whatever they say affects the way you are?

4.            Is that person’s criticism really about their own failings?

5.             Is it their self esteem that they are trying to prop up with their derision of you?

6.            Are they trying to intimidate you, gain control or shift blame away from themselves?

7.            Why do their remarks threaten your own self-esteem?

8.            Is it them… or are you looking for someone to blame?

9.            Is the criticism a huge deal or are you allowing a little thing to take on massive implications?

10.            Seize back the control and don’t allow anyone to belittle you for their own ends!

Remember it’s always easier to criticise than be constructive.

In writing this article I asked my partner what he thought. His opinion was straight to the point. “Tell them to f*ck off and ignore the twats… what do they know anyway?”

However I prefer the more philosophical approach – All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.