by Jennifer Wagner

Created on: January 22, 2009

Criticism and judgment are everywhere in life. It's at the workplace, at home, on the road when you're drivingno matter where you go or what you do, someone will be judging. It is up to you to decide how to react to it.

No one knows more about receiving criticism, than a person that puts their work out in the world for others to judge. This could be writers, models, vocalists, actors, etc. Anyone that opens up their heart and bares it for all to see, has dealt with some form of criticism. It's not always an easy thing to do.

People aren't always nice. Over the years I have received my fair share of criticism. Some people just cannot accept that their opinions aren't the only ones that matter, and get terribly offended when your ideas don't mesh with theirs. When I was younger, it bothered me to be critiqued. Now I know it's just a part of the business when you write, and I try not to let it bother me.

Here are a few tips to overcome criticism and help put judgment behind you.

1. Ask yourself how the criticism will effect you. Will you lose your job because of the criticism? Will you lose what is important to you because you were critiqued? Will life stop existing as you know it? Surely not! So, don't sweat it!

2. Admit that some criticism is actually helpful. In one of my posts, there was a comment left by a reader that said I had made many grammatical errors. At first, I was insulted. But then, after looking back over the article, I found that the reader was right. Since then, I've been reading books on grammar and feel that I may actually benefit from the critic's comment.

3. Take the blame for your reaction. - You absolutely cannot stop what people say. What you can do, however, is change the way you react to criticism. If YOU let it upset you, then the blame is on you. You have the authority over yourself to not let it upset you.

4. Realize you can't please everyone - I don't care who you are or what you do. You absolutely CANNOT please everyone. You can be the most brilliant person in the world, have the best looks, and more money than you can possibly use. But someone out there wont like you. Someone will find something that you do wrong, or tell you that you aren't doing something right. It's a fact of life and we can't change it. Accept this and you'll be a happier person.

5. Accept that no one likes criticism. - No one likes to be told that they are wrong. Yet, every single person has, at one time or another, been criticized for something. Realize that it's a normal part of life . You may have received some harsh criticism, but it doesn't mean that you are dumb, or incompetent. Try not to think of it in that way and don't take it personally.

6. Consider the source - It may help to step back and examine the source of criticism. Is the critic a friend just trying to offer constructive criticism? It is much easier to accept correction or guidance from someone that has good intentions. This type of criticism is known as Valid criticism, because there is a valid point, or reason to it.

On the other hand, there are critics that offer their "advice" strictly for the sake of being right. This is commonly referred to as Invalid criticism because it often not of any use at all.

7. What if you really are your own worst critic? - You are not perfect. You will make mistakes. Everyone does. If you are afraid to put your work out for others to see, you'll never know what you may be capable of doing. Do your best and if someone doesn't like what you've done..so what? The key to overcoming self criticism is to realize that you're only human. No one expects as much from you as you do.

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