A day doesnât pass in our lives on which we werenât criticized by somebody; it is very common and can be very irritating. The following are a few ways of dealing with critics.
Introspection
It is important that one should not take any criticism personally and be upset about it. If you have been criticized about something, try to see if it is true. It is easy to get offended at criticism and it is very difficult to embrace it and move on. Try to judge yourself without being partial or egoistic and do not be prejudiced against the person who made the criticism. If you know that whatever you are doing is right and should not be criticized, then you have no reason to feel bad. Do not start doubting you own capabilities after getting a bad review or a critical comment. If you find a mistake in yourself, then try to rectify it as soon as possible to avoid the particular type of criticism again.
Take it positively
Different people react to things in different ways and not everybody is worth bothering. If you are working in a particular field and an expert of that field is critical about your work, you cannot afford to ignore it. If you are new in the field, always take their guidance for anything that you do; their vast experience will always come handy. Ask them what they found wrong about your work and how can it be made better. You must be gracious and courteous enough to thank them for paying attention to your work and giving it their time. This will disarm them totally and also help you in your career. It also ensures that they will not be harsh the next time. Feel proud that they found your work worth commenting on and did not treat you with disdain. With such an expert backing you, rest assured that no amateur will dare to criticize your work.
Do not argue
There are some people who criticize others just because they like to and are not good at anything themselves, except criticizing. If you are going to argue with such a person, it will do you no good because they are very experienced in it and will beat you with their own experience. Let them do what they are best at, while you keep doing what you are good at. Politely ask them if they could just show you how to do it in a better way and that will ensure that they stop criticizing you immediately. Arguing or creating a scene will not help your image, but on the contrary, it will draw more attention to the criticism made at you or your work. If people find that you are getting irritated with small criticisms, they will start thinking that perhaps there is some fault in your work which you do not want to come out. This will make them pry and poke into it and give rise to further criticism. Do not react rashly to any criticism, however annoying or baseless it is; you can silence them only with your success.
Identify them and talk directly
If you come across some criticism about yourself, try to get to the bottom of it. Find out who is criticizing you and what is their experience or background that makes them worth listening to. Try to arrange a meeting or talk directly to the critic about their displeasure and be polite in your behavior. You must also remember to ask them what exactly they had said because when we hear from other people, words and expressions are generally misunderstood. Such is the imagination of people that the message that comes from the source is much different when it reaches the desired ears. It will help settle the matter much faster and help in saving your time and effort. The fact that you are being affected by their criticism and are seeking a justification for it will ensure that the critic will think many times before criticizing your work mindlessly.
Ignore
Sometimes, when we come across people who just criticize us for the sake of it, we get upset and annoyed. The joy of our good performance is overwhelmed by the sorrow of the criticism that we feel. But such people are not worth paying attention to; they are just jealous and want to discourage you. Sometimes, when we start something new or unique, people do criticize it because they are not familiar with it. You must ignore the criticism because not everybody is worth listening to. Ask your friends and family to be frank about their opinion and if they are supporting you, then you need not care what the rest of the world says. The fact that you are being criticized shows that you are making an impact; take heart from this.
