{"id":1885,"date":"2013-02-20T21:16:55","date_gmt":"2013-02-20T21:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spontaneousdevelopment.com\/sdnuggets\/?p=1885"},"modified":"2013-02-21T04:11:30","modified_gmt":"2013-02-21T04:11:30","slug":"to-succeed-you-must-not-fear-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/to-succeed-you-must-not-fear-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"To Succeed, You Must Not Fear Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cEither do wrong or feel guilty, but don\u2019t do both; it\u2019s too much work.\u201d \u2013 Rudolf Dreikurs (1897 \u2013 1972) Psychiatrist<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of social pressure to get yourself liked and approved of in today\u2019s world. Most people would love to be accepted by others. However, the truth is that this may not always happen for everyone. <\/p>\n

No One Can Avoid Criticism \u2013 At Least No Living Person!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As long as you\u2019re still alive, criticism can and will come your way. No matter how nice, friendly or good you are \u2013 or you try to be. It\u2019s just the way the world is. If you\u2019re always good, some people are bound to find fault with you for that. They might call you a \u201cdo-gooder\u201d for instance.<\/p>\n

You cannot be perfect. But even if you could be perfect, people would criticize you for being THAT way!<\/p>\n

There will of course be times when people will criticize you for a good reason. <\/em><\/p>\n

When they do (maybe for shortcomings you actually have) try not to argue or be too defensive. Take it in your stride. If you feel there\u2019s been a misinterpretation of your actions, do your best to correct it, without being argumentative. <\/p>\n

But again, don\u2019t be apologetic for being yourself. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an important point: <\/strong>Quite often, criticism may come your way as you focus your efforts on achieving a set goal. Maybe you started spending less time with friends or family members. Not all of them may be willing to accept the \u201cchange\u201d initially. <\/p>\n

You will need to decide how important your goal is, and whether you\u2019re prepared to abandon it to avoid criticism from them e.g. if you\u2019re trying to start a new business. <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Let Fear of Criticism Make You Neglect Your Goal<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The best thing is to pursue your goal with focus and passion. That is what will see you through the dark hours of your struggles as an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

You cannot afford to subordinate your
\nfocus on your goal, to every whim of those around you e.g. to routinely help with domestic chores, or play with the kids etc.<\/p>\n

If you work from home for instance, they must be made to understand that your being around them, does not mean you are available to them. Do not try to please them by neglecting your ultimate goal. <\/p>\n

Otherwise you will be surprised to hear those same persons who prevent you from focusing turning around to ask you how come you\u2019ve not made significant progress!!<\/p>\n

I once read about a category of entrepreneurs an author called \u201cSuper entrepreneurs\u201d. People in this category were said to have total involvement in their work.<\/p>\n

Willis H. Carrier, (inventor of air conditioning \u2013 Carrier Corporation) was an example. He \u201cwas considered dangerous at the wheel of a car when concentrating on the solution to a problem<\/em>\u201d. One account has it that he once totally forgot his intended destination, after boarding a train while deeply immersed in thought about a new idea!!<\/p>\n

There is no doubt that Willis Carrier must have been criticized for his absent mindedness. But judging from the successes he achieved, that may have been an inevitable fallout of the intense focus he needed to have, in order to conceive his inventions.<\/p>\n

Therefore, if you really want to make the most of yourself, you must accept that not everyone will view your actions in a positive light. And you will not always come across as being \u201ccool\u201d. At least not until your breakthrough occurs. Not everyone will be happy or satisfied with you. You must however understand that what you think, and how you feel matters more than anything others may say. <\/p>\n

If It Gets Too Much, Find Ways to Be Alone i.e. To Get Some Quiet Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sometimes the criticisms and other distractions may become too much to cope with. That\u2019s why making needed progress may sometimes require your choosing to be alone. At least until you finish doing the important tasks that will get you what you want. <\/p>\n

Many people prefer to be around others. They want to feel wanted and to be noticed. They\u2019ve been taught to believe that something\u2019s wrong with them, if they stay alone. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The truth is however that a little quiet time away from the noise and distractions of normal society can do you plenty of good. Many successful people actually do it a lot, and most attribute their ability to re-invent themselves to the discipline of creating some quiet (or me<\/strong>) time for themselves. <\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great way to refine your focus towards achieving your goals. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Commit to getting away for some quiet time to work on your goals. When you\u2019re done, you can return to the warm embrace of your loved ones until the next \u201csession\u201d is due. This way, over time, you\u2019ll move closer to your goal, until you make it come true.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve said from the start of this article, not everyone will understand why you\u2019re doing it. But there\u2019s nothing wrong in carving out some private time for yourself, to work on what matters to you. So, don\u2019t be afraid to do it, when the need arises!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cEither do wrong or feel guilty, but don\u2019t do both; it\u2019s too much work.\u201d \u2013 Rudolf Dreikurs (1897 \u2013 1972) Psychiatrist There\u2019s a lot of social pressure to get yourself liked and approved of in today\u2019s world. Most people would love to be accepted by others. However, the truth is that this may not always […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-self-development"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":1476,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1885"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1892,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1885\/revisions\/1892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tayosolagbade.com\/sdnuggets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}