CRITICISM AND YOU

“Criticism: the only chance we have got to do something better, make something better, and be someone better.”

Two years ago he was in the same spot, sitting in the same chair, in a different dress. Like then he can’t describe in exact words what it was like sitting in that chair, but he can measure the feeling: the feeling that once swept through his puffy cheeks, through every nooks and crannies of his shilling body completely rendering him mentally confiscated in the tiny space of overwhelming intellectual gasp. Tony’s critiques are back, and they are doing a pretty good job in making him feel bad.

Day in day out, in living and in functioning we come across pebbles like the above in our various tiles of duties: people who feel, and will always have something to say concerning and about everything that goes on and on around them; whether or not it does actually in the real sense concerns them. This naturally so unnaturally done mouth tethering co-factoring many factors may by circumstances turned out annoying as in Tony’s, or frustrating as the case is in reality. Nonetheless still, when we take a peep into the brighter side, there is always as always, two sides to every story.

Criticism though most of the time can be that uncomfortable, it does so openly challenge us to do something better, make something better, and be someone better. Whether constructively done or destructively constructed, the result can always be the same only if you can see the bigger picture. Everything in life if you must understand stands a common weakness: the open provision for maneuvering. The goodness in good can be made evil as much as the wrong in a wrong can be made a right. It is your willingness and readiness to see beyond the obvious intent that allows you to connect and tapped into the streams of benefit inherent in critiques criticisms.

For an example, four years ago on a popular online forum I decided after reading a lot of stories to give writing a short. I started, and there were a lot of comments. Most of them discouraging. Words and statements like: “what’s worth doing is worth doing well” began to surface. Things like: “I do admire your boldness to make an effort, but you ending up making a bad one I do not admire. This is really really bad, I must tell you the truth.” Now that was me trying to have a hinge on writing. And I did not at that time get it right until I begin to see the brighter side of things. Instead of me getting discouraged by those talks, I only get to make something better; improving my writing skills as a person. Because, as at that time, a mirror could get to see how poor my writing skills were which, by myself I didn’t get to see until criticism brought it to a limelight.

Criticism no matter the intent always have an advantage, constructively or destructively done. For constructive criticism, you have a chance to make something better; improve on something: the quality of your goods as a wholesaler, your delivery system as a retailer, and your communication skills as a receptionist in a firm, hotel, or a company. You actually with destructive criticism have as an artist a golden opportunity of making a better music for your fans instead of smashing it all in their faces. As a leader a chance to be flexible when your followers start complaining about the strictness of your leadership style. As a terrible cook in the home of your husband, just don’t flare things up when your husband gets a kick from it.

In reacting positively to criticism, we do not only get to invest in our own lives, we do as well check our critiques with a maturity gag. Let’s say you get criticized about your poor sense of fashion as an artist, and you have it corrected. Again, for criticizing sake you get another one from another angle and you do exactly the same thing. Each and every single time instead of sucking in on criticism you do the contrary by taking into consideration every important elements. This wears out your critiques, but not only wears them out, it as well forces them to acknowledge your composed composure which in another way is acknowledging your intellectual superiority in life.

A knife can either slaughter a chicken, or it can slaughter another human. Either way it plays out is our choice and decision. Criticism as a case can, if embraced, bring the best in you out or, if reacted to, brings the worst in you. For you, I will suggest the former.

Originally Written by Olusanya Olaleye