Staying Confident in the Face of Criticism
As a freelance writer, I´ve had my share of criticisms. Some were simply ploys to avoid paying me as much (”your work is terrible, we´ll use it anyway, but only pay fifty cents an article), but quite a bit has been constructive criticism. And, though you can use it to grow, hearing that you didn´t do a good job can be painful.
Some people are more sensitive than others to criticism. For example, my husband couldn´t care less what people say about his musical abilities. He is quite confident that he plays well and any negative comments roll right off him, though he isn´t one to ignore tips that could help him.
I, on the other hand, take each and every remark to heart. It doesn´t even have to be cruel. A simple “Your headlines could use some spicing up” will make me fret for days . . . and a true insult will send me into a tailspin.
The trick to staying confident in the face of criticism seems to be not to take it personally. Yes, they are telling you that you aren´t doing the right thing, but rather than focus on how poorly you did or how awful you are, it´s time to look at what you can learn from the criticism. This isn´t easy and it certainly doesn´t come naturally to most people, but if you can master the ability of taking criticism and using it to improve, you have a skill that will serve you for the rest of your life.
If possible, if you really did mess up, offer to make amends. Redo the project. You´ll feel better about having done it right and the client will be happier and more likely to return. If you didn´t do anything wrong and you are certain that the criticism is unwarranted, distract yourself by watching a movie, reading a book or working on a project that will take your mind off it. Dwelling on negative remarks that aren´t true won´t help you at all.
Criticism is part of life. It´s part of running your own business. Sort the good from the bad, forget the bad and learn from the good.
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