SECOND THOUGHTS: Dealing with criticism
The essence of writing is editing. When one works at a newspaper, there is not a single piece of content that does not get edited by one’s co-workers and editors. Therefore, a writer must always be able to endure criticism from others.
Working at a newspaper (in addition to just being who I am) has forced and helped me to deal with criticism. Sometimes that criticism is well-needed and other times it feels unwarranted and harsh.
Sometimes, criticism goes beyond the typical feedback and becomes one of the cancers of the world: hating. For better or worse, I have had to deal with a lot of criticism (and hate) in my time.
While I was not sure at first, others around me have made it quite clear that I do not think or do things the way others do. I have also faced consistent scrutiny for my interests in things.
Nevertheless, there is a lesson to learn in everything, and there is much I have learned from enduring more than a fair share of criticism.
In this life, you have to let criticism, warranted or not, build you up rather than tear you down. Sometimes it feels like a million critiques are like bullets aiming to bring you down.
But instead, one must see criticism as water that can help you grow. For every bit of criticism that makes you feel torn down, recognize that you can rebuild yourself and rise above it.
Additionally, it’s okay to recognize some people’s criticism as bad criticism.
Just as there are things a person can do that warrant criticism, there is also bad and unwarranted criticism.
Some people are not trying to be good critics. Some people simply do by all means want to just be rude or cruel with their words. After all, there are haters in this world.
Nevertheless, always listen and consider the criticism given to you. Just as criticism can teach or highlight something about yourself, it can also teach you things about the people saying it.
Some people’s criticism of you or hate on you is really a reflection of themselves. Misery loves company after all.
One of the big keys in dealing with criticism, especially harsh criticism, is to not dwell on it. One of the worst things one can do is let the words of a person ruin their day. It is not healthy to let someone have that kind of power over you. If someone gives criticism that hurts you, acknowledge it. However, do not dwell on it to the point that it ruins your whole day.
We are the sum of our thoughts and ultimately, we have to make sure we are letting the right thoughts enter our heads. That means being able to process criticisms without letting them ruin our day. It is okay to feel some type of way because of criticism you receive. You should not invalidate how you feel. But you must also be careful how much you let the criticism cut into you. Criticism can already feel like a knife. It will only be worse if you twist it yourself by dwelling so long on it.
At the end of the day, a major part of life is hearing things you may not want to hear. Life cannot always go your way and that means people will not always be receptive to your vision and ideals.
You cannot run from that. If you cannot run from it, you can at least learn from it. It is sometimes through criticism you receive some of your most valuable lessons about life.
