HOW DOES OTHERS OPINION AFFECT YOU?

Do you lose sleep over others opinion of you?

Well, let me explain a little to you here

When a lion or lioness is trotting through the veld doing its thing in the wild, minding his/her own business so to speak and then all of a sudden it finds a sheep on its path, right there in front of it.

Does it think it stops to think to itself: ‘Hey, that’s a sheep; I wonder if it likes me or not? Maybe I should ask the sheep? I do hope it approves of me. I don’t think I will be able to sleep properly tonight in my den until I have it out with the sheep and find out’?

Nope, you are right not a chance in hell is there. After all, it’s a lion for crying out load. Lion’s don’t worry about what others think.

So, to continue with our story the lion sees the sheep pounces on it and then devours it, eating it without a second thought and trots on through the veld.

That’s lions and lionesses for you eh?

What’s the point of all this you are asking yourself right? Well, you could learn an awful lot from this little lion in the wild. People ask every day how I personally have risen above any negative comments or criticism about the things I do in my job or in life. I say to them, ‘Simple, I don’t listen to sheep’.

Now, as in life, I guarantee you that you will always get a few sheep who may be brave enough to come up to you and say your work just isn’t up to scratch. They always have an opinion. It’s usually after the sheep have had a few drinks and are feeling brave enough to take on the odd lion or two with their new found courage.

I guarantee this will happen to you at some point in your life or at work.

Now, you could choose to listen to that sheep or you could do what any self-respecting lion or lioness would do and that is to devour it or ignore it.

You certainly wouldn’t sit it down for a chat on how they could change their opinions and behaviour towards you now would you?

Be careful to who you listen to and whose opinion you take on board.

You have to be lions and lionesses out there in the world because a hell of a lot of bravery is involved in getting up in front of people and doing your work and not just going with the flow. It’s not sheep’s work at all to stand tall and be counted. So don’t let them push you around.  Stand tall and be a lion.

Now, time is running out. If you are serious about becoming the person you know you are deep down inside. Be that lion and go get life.

Join the rest of the pride out there, those who are successful by being lions.

 

Rick D

Constructive Criticism: How to Receive It and Still Maintain Your Self Esteem

 

 

Did you know that your ability to handle criticism could impact on your work performance? People who take criticism personally report the least job satisfaction and are likelier to quit their projects or their job altogether.

At the same time, a person’s ability to positively receive criticism is closely linked with their level of self-esteem. The tiniest shrapnel of disapproval will further deflate a low self-esteem.

Admittedly, listening to someone point out a mistake or a shortcoming is never easy for anyone. In fact, even if you know the criticism is valid, your first reaction would likely be defensiveness.

But, there are inherent benefits latent within that critical appraisal you receive from your boss, that reproach from a colleague or a complaint about your services from a customer.

Here are some steps to deal with criticism while keeping yourself esteem intact:

Is it worth fighting for?

To avoid losing sleep over each incident of disapproval, it is wise to assess the nature of criticism you receive and from whom.

Some people may criticize you for no valid reason in an effort to anger you or undermine your efforts.

The simplest way to deal with such criticism is to not pay attention to it; after all, if it is not beneficial to you, there is no need to invest so much effort in it. Undoubtedly, you would have to work hard to build your self-esteem to be able to understand negative or unwarranted criticism for what it is.

Don’t identify your self-worth with the subject of criticism

A major obstacle to dealing with criticism is the personalization of disapproval. Most people do it—when someone points out to a shortcoming or something that needs improvement, the first instinct is to take it personal, or make it about your self-efficacy.

Constructive criticism, for example from a boss, a mentor, a close advisor or a customer is often not meant to be an attack on the person. Rather, it is them telling you that you need to improve on certain things.

Therefore, just because a customer criticizes your product does not mean that your entire business model has failed or that you are incapable of operating a business. Instead of taking customer criticism as an attack on your aptitude, take it as an opportunity to start a discourse about how you can help them and see whether the product can be improved.

Looking for the grains of truth

Unless you determine that someone is criticizing you out of ill intention, a large percentage of the criticism you receive will have some sort of truth, if you were to be honest with yourself.

If you are in a workplace situation, listening objectively to your boss or colleagues’ criticism can help you unveil something about yourself or your work that needs improvement.

So, instead of becoming defensive, keenly go through important points that need to be improved, come to an agreement or set up an action plan and get down to implementing the required changes.

This process works in all sorts of situations from dealing with customers to alleviating relationship conflicts.

Looking for the truth in what the other person is saying will go a long way in helping you not to make the same mistakes again. It also creates peaceful interactions in the workplace, business and personal life.

Accepting your limitations

Perfectionists and high-achievers have a hard time accepting the slightest criticism. It’s not that they are narcissistic; it’s just that they have extremely high benchmarks for achievement

 

These personality types invariably expect approval due to the seemingly great deal of input they expend into their work. As such, they can blow up even in the face of constructive criticism.

Knowing and accepting your limitations is extremely valuable in fending off the sting that comes with any type of disapproval. If you are not too great at marketing, accept that and either allow someone else to do it or go on with it but anticipate potential criticism.

Constructive Critisism

The best way to minimize criticism is not to avoid challenges altogether. A better way is to do what you are good at so well that you leave no space for criticism. Even then, when you are asked to improve, taking the time to listen objectively and to find the traces of truth can help to diffuse conflict in business, at the workplace or in your personal relationships.

 

http://www.andrewspenceonline.com/constructive-criticism-how-to-receive-it-and-still-maintain-your-self-esteem/