How Do You Silence Your Critics - Qik Pix Podcast Follow Up
As we dove into episode two wth Jarek Hamilton of Qik Pix, my big question on the question here was this: Are we asking how you actually get people to stop being critical or how do you stop internalizing every negative thing someone says about you or the project/business you're working on? We decided it was a little bit of both. I think if you are doing something different or disruptive there are always going to be people who have a negative opinion where they cannot see the vision. And on the flip side, if you are doing something that's the same as everyone else, there's likely going to be some criticism around the fact that maybe you're not differentiating enough.
The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is to take the feedback and criticism and channel it into something that fuels you.
Two things that immediately come to mind here are:
- A quote from my girl HRC: "Don't take it personally, take it seriously". For me this is REALLY hard to do, in fact so hard that as I shared on the show my husband often calls me "uncoachable" LOL. Meaning I have a hard time taking critical feedback but it's important to take it, even if you don't agree with it. Take it seriously, there is a reason that someone has this opinion, so think about it. Maybe there's something to learn from it, and while you're at it, try not to take it as a direct hit on who you are as a person.
- The way we were taught to take feedback during Yoga Teacher Training, which was a big part of the whole thing - getting and giving feedback to grow as teachers. We were told that, regardless of whether or not you agree with the feedback, say thank you. If you agree with it, say thank you, and make the change or improvement. Maybe have further discussion with the person so you can get some ideas on how to do this. If you don't agree, try not to get defensive and instead say thank you, and LET IT GO.
What do you think about this? How do you handle criticism or critics? There are some other interesting distinctions that come up in the episode, would love to hear your perspective!
