Criticism Does Not Need to Ruin Your Day!

We’ve all been there.

Someone makes a critical remark towards us and we just feel mentally defeated as a result of it.

Criticism, whether online or in-person, can ruin our entire day.

But here’s the thing: criticism can only ruin your day if you let it.

In the book “A Guide To The Good Life,” William Irvine shares 3 strategies for effectively handling criticism:

The first strategy Irvine suggests is to pause and ask yourself whether what’s been said is true.

If it’s false, then there’s no reason to worry about it. If it’s true, then why does it bother you?

As Seneca asks,

“Why is it an insult to be told what is self-evident?”

The second strategy Irvine suggests is to ask yourself who insulted you?

If it’s someone you respect, then you probably value their opinion and should accept it as something you can actually improve on, right?

If you don’t respect the person who said it, then why bother with it?

And the third strategy Irvine suggests is to remember that happy and wise people don’t insult others.

Therefore, if a person insults you, you can be certain that this person has an immature character.

Remember, you can only be insulted if you let it happen. If you don’t care about what other people say, then you won’t feel insulted.

I love what Marcus Aurelius says in his book “Meditations”:

“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”

Take this advice to heart and don’t take other people’s opinions about you too seriously.

Thanks for your Wisdom Vincent Carlos