Sometimes it can be hard to hear criticism from others. I know for me it's something I may always struggle with- being a people pleaser, etc. At the same time though, constructive criticism can be very helpful, and allow us to look at ourselves in a new light and maybe even grow and change. Take a step out of yourself. If you were on the outside looking in, how would you critique yourself? What things do you see that could change or work on? This isn't about tearing ourselves down; it's about really looking at ourselves and seeing where there's room for growth.
Oh, criticism. We are all cut from the same cloth on this one. As human beings, we criticize all the time: others, ourselves, a tiny bit or harshly. It's a hard thing to deal with, isn't it? Let's start with being criticized.
Being criticized is part of life. Every single person is different, which is why criticism even happens. You may not agree with what someone says or does, and they may not agree with you. I view being criticized in two lights: the first being that there is such a thing as good criticism. The kind where a friend comes to you lovingly and wants to have a kind, albeit difficult, conversation about you. This usually results in a worthwhile conversation and a positive outcome. The other type is bad criticism. The kind where someone calls you out in a harsh manner and you kind of have no choice but to defend yourself or take a beating. This is generally unproductive.
The other half of things is being the criticizer. I am a critical person myself. I try not to judge others, but we are all guilty of that. We all have a picture in our minds of how we want others to be. When someone goes outside those mental guidelines, we immediately criticize in some form. Which brings me to the second part of the prompt: if I was on the outside looking in, how would I critique myself? What can I change or work on? (What a question!)
I touched on this in the last journal, but there is a lot for me to work on. We should never stop working to become better, don't you think? I think it's beneficial to step outside of ourselves and view us how other people do. Here's what I think people see in me (the bad):
- too outspoken; I often have an unfiltered heart
- hard on people who don't have their stuff together
- overly opinionated on certain subjects
- slightly unaccepting of people who I don't have things in common with
- showing that I am annoyed or frustrated (I wear my heart on my sleeve for all to see)
Wow. This shows me two things: 1) I have a lot to work on, and 2) I am probably never getting married, because who wants to put up with that ;) All joking aside, there is so much room to grow. I would like to see myself cut down the judgment and give people a little more grace in my own heart. It's good to step back and take a hard look at your own life sometimes, huh?
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