Criticism is inevitable in this life. It’s something we all must face at one point in our life. It can come in high school when people tease us or from our bosses who don’t think we are performing to our best abilities. Or even sometimes it can come from the people we love most. It’s unavoidable, because no matter how safe you play in this life, no matter how much you try and stand out, or in some cases blend in, someone somewhere may point out a flaw. Of course, no one likes to be told they have an issue with themselves or aren’t good enough to meet someone’s standards. That’s also human nature, to protect ourselves, to protect our egos. The real test is what we do with that criticism. And when I say criticism, I mean constructive, because people cruelly pointing out some flaw they see isn’t constructive. But I digress, do we collapse under other’s harsh words, or do we let those words motivate us to find what we want from life?
If you asked most people what one of their biggest fears was, some would say failure. But my question to them would be, are you terrified of failure, or are you afraid of the criticism you might receive for trying? So many of us, including myself, let our fear of rejection and criticism hold us back. That fear keeps us from pushing ourselves to be better. Playing by the rules doesn’t make history. Hiding under a rock for a lifetime because one is afraid to be seen seems like an injustice. I’ve learned that some people may love you, some will always dislike you, but none of that matters if you don’t like yourself. I’ve learned that those harsh words of criticism don’t matter as much if you know who you are. No one should ever stop someone from being themselves or doing what they love, but ultimately, it’s up to us to decide the actions we take in our lives. Because success isn’t about becoming famous or winning, it’s about staying in the game and being true to ourselves.
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