Recently I was putting together an opt-in page for a free giveaway. I was excited as I had not done one in awhile, and I thought it looked pretty darn good. But then, I received some pretty painful criticism.
I showed it to a business coach I highly respect and they showed EVERYTHING, they saw wrong with it. I was wondering, did I get any of it right. Granted, the income they have made as a coach had surpassed me (I try to surround myself with people who are a few steps ahead of me) but I was still thinking, Gee, is it really that bad?
Think about a time in your life when someone criticized something you did? How did it affect you? If you were already having a bad day or rough time in life, it probably hurt even more. Did you think the person was being mean? Did you find yourself getting angry?
When they were giving me feedback on my work, I started questioning whether or not I needed to be in business in the first place. I also thought that there is no way I could make all the changes and make this look good – No way! The way I was responding could change the direction of my life.
How you respond to criticism and feedback can also change the direction of your life. It can your life better or for the worse. It can even change the lives of those around you. The negative feelings you feel can fester and develop into more negativity which will show up in other areas of your life. It can impact your relationships, your career, your business. You can end up losing a good friend who only wanted to provide feedback to help you be better.
So what did I do? I took a quick moment and looked at what I created. I thought about who I was, knowing who I am in Christ and how I am to serve him. Okay, I can see some of what they were saying now. I took the ideas that were flowing in my head and got to work. When I set back and looked at what I had now created, I saw more of me. I felt so much more confident with what I had created.
When someone criticizes you, don’t take it personally. Really take a moment to hear and understand what they are saying. You may not agree completely with what they say but, it will raise your self-awareness. You will be able to see yourself and your work from a different perspective. Know that from every negative critique comes positive change.
I was able to turn use the criticism to fuel me to create a much better project. The result can open many more doors for me. I also feel so much happier about the outcome. Next time someone criticizes you, don’t make it a negative thing. Take the criticism and let it fuel you. You’ll be amazed at what you can create!
Carolyn R. Owens has over 25 years of proven experience and serves as a Career Strategist, Leadership and Life Coach. She is the Chairwoman and CEO of Infinity Coaching, Inc. where they help you up-level your skills so you can up-level your career, business, and life. Infinity Coaching, Inc. provides one-on-one and group coaching, organizational training, personality assessments and a signature program, the Infinity Coaching Inner Circle. Find out more at https://infinitycoaching.net
