You have probably been told at some point in your life that you must learn to take criticism, but I suggest you up your participation and learn to look forward to criticism. Teaching classes and giving presentations I have started to realize that my best ideas have resulted from the criticisms I received from others. When everything went right in a presentation I came away satisfied and pleased but nothing changed, only when I experienced a setback did I find a path to something better.

Criticism is really just one person sharing their input with you about something you have shared with them. They could be right or they could be wrong, either way you are forced to look at something with new vision, to clarify something to the other person or to yourself. I still cringe inwardly when I start to read class evaluations from participants but in the end the ones that contain criticism are the most helpful.

It is good to remember that “criticism” has more than one meaning, one meaning is “expressing disapproving comments,” another meaning is “having a decisive importance.” Change your perspective the next time someone says they have a “criticism”  – think instead that they have something “of decisive importance”, to say to you. Chances are it will be more help to you than all the praise in the world.