We are often predisposed to act defensively. When we’re criticized we often act to defend ourselves or deeply bury the resentment. When some service isn’t up to what we expected, we demand satisfaction or our money back. There’s another way to look it. What if we didn’t see the other person or people as out to get us or cheat us? What if we tried to act reasonably to reconcile a situation? I’ve discovered this works more often than not. It doesn’t mean one has to be a pushover, far from it. We can persist in a reasonable and calm way until we reach a satisfactory conclusion. Everything doesn’t have to be a battle. Every critic isn’t evil, if we listen we might learn and grow. Every thing we hear that challenges how we think about things isn’t wrong. If we listen we may gain new insights.
critic
What If . . .
What if I weren’t so hard on myself? I think I’d take twenty pounds off my shoulders if I let go self critical dialogue. How about you? We can be our own worse critics. All we have to do is listen to our self-directed language. It doesn’t have to be this way. Instead of being our personal critic, we can change and become our self appointed cheerleader. “Why did I do that” changes to “That was a nice try, you’ll do better next time.” You get the idea. I feel better already.
