Chapter 7. Mastering Criticism

Why do kids quit or fail to achieve? Think about it. They initially fail at walking, talking, manners, riding a bike, playing a game, making decisions, reading, adding, subtracting—everything. There is nothing a child gets right the first time.

How the parents and the people in the environment deal with that chronic failure (learning experiences) is, in large part, going to shape that child's potential for success.

"If at first you don't succeed try, try again." Did your mom or dad get that one right? If so, you are a lucky one.

Some parents chose to say things like this:

"You will never get it right."
"You are learning disabled, don't worry about it. No one expects you to do a good job."
"You can't do anything right, can you?"

If you heard phrases like these, they were destructive. In large part these statements and the reactions they triggered in you determined your success (or lack of it) as a young adult. Are they still affecting you today?

To avoid criticism, some people stay within their comfort zone or they do precisely what is anticipated and they simply get no negative feedback. People who don't want to get criticized never do anything they don't already know how to do because they don't want to fail. Yet, people who rarely get criticized ultimately fail. Don't fall into this trap.

You work, you love, you play. And you get criticized. It hurts and is embarrassing. That is the real world and you need to accept it in order to excel in it.

No matter the ...

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