Page 7 - ADU Voice Volume 3 Issue 1

FALL 2023 · voice 07
more
positive thoughts. A bit
like how, in a game of
basketball, a teammate
shields the player with the ball
from the defender. It’s like a bigger player
protecting the quarterback in American
football. Although many of us aren’t active
players of these sports, we can all harness
these strategies to mentally kick goals, even
against the mighty offensive of the most neg-
ative critiques.
Secondly, try not to take things per-
sonally. I’m sure we’re all aware that words
mixed with harsh truths can be a hurtful
concoction. But, sometimes, criticism can be
constructive. This type of criticism helps us
see things from a new perspective. Also, it
provides further context to things we may
have ignored, overlooked, or never even
considered. Feedback and constructive crit-
icism can help us improve and grow. As a
perfectionist, I love taking any opportunity
to improve myself.
Thirdly, fight back. I’m not trying to get
anyone into any trouble by inducing violence
in any shape or form. But fighting fire with
a little fire doesn’t necessarily mean that
the whole house will burn down. We need
to stand up for ourselves and protect our
necks (totally unrelated to the highly popular
Wu-Tang Clan song). Moreover, we shouldn’t
let people cross our red lines because once
they do, it’s hunting season. And as majestic
as a deer’s antlers might look, we do not want
to be a target like that. Imagine being a stuff-
ing on a mantle. Now that’s a disappointing
fashion statement.
Lastly, handle self-criticism with care.
While self-criticism can help us to better
understand our faults and areas for
improvement, overdosing on the negative
inner thoughts we have about ourselves, our
actions, or our characteristics is also unhelp-
ful. If we focus more on self-criticism than
on self-belief, we risk losing our self-esteem.
That is one boxing match we cannot afford
to lose.
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Criticism will always enter our lives from
different angles. Aristotle once wrote that
the only way to avoid criticism was to do
nothing, say nothing and be nothing. Since
that’s not a very realistic or productive path,
we need to armour ourselves with strategies
such as the ones mentioned above so that
criticism is longer a boogeyman.