Learning from Criticism – Sifting Through the Sands of Being Criticized

by Reuben Chow

When you are criticized for something – anything, when you are told something you are doing is not correct, when your deficiencies or weaknesses are pointed out, or when you are berated for your mistakes, what is your usual reaction?

How do you respond to criticism?

Do you respond with humility? Are you apologetic? Or is it common for you to turn defensive and perhaps shoot back aggressively?

I once read a short article – unfortunately I do not recall its source or author – which talked about criticism. The article likened receiving criticism from someone to, metaphorically, having that person pour a big bucket of sand over you. It’s messy, it’s ugly, it could be painful, it’s embarrassing, and it could even be humiliating.

Under such circumstances, the common and normal thing to do is to get angry and react negatively. Here, what we tend to do is focus on the sand – sands of negativity.

However, the author tells us, among all that sand in the bucket, there is likely to be several nuggets of gold, too. Often, because we are so caught up with annoying sand, we miss out on some potential golden lessons. He encourages us to keep our cool and take a moment to sift through the unwanted sand in search for the nuggets of gold.

The sand and the gold usually come together, as a package. When we receive criticism, we are already splattered by millions of grains of sand. That’s a certainty we cannot prevent or change. Wouldn’t it then be a waste if we fail to rummage through all that undesirable sand to discover and uncover the desirable pieces of golden advice? There are surely lessons to be learnt, improvements to be made, and advice which can be taken on board.

Golden nuggets of advice which can improve the way you do things, better your life, as well as make you a better person.

Follow this site