It is a blindness to the beauty, with a clarity on the flaws
It is the impulse to manipulate for what’s already been freely given
*
It is the urge to compete with those who are dearest to us
It is the voice that taunts us from behind the mirror
*
It is the compulsion to tear people down to what we unconsciously perceive to be our level
It is the willingness to trade our values for the approval of others
*
It is the frequency that muffles every compliment, while amplifying the slightest criticism
It is the apprehension to speak for fear of sounding stupid
*
It is the drive to control what was never ours to govern
It is the tendency to exaggerate our accomplishments, while denying our weaknesses
*
It is the fear that if they really knew us, they wouldn’t love us
It is the unspoken sense that it would be better if we were someone else
*
It is ultimately an identity thief
and
Its name is insecurity
Thought for the Day – Criticism
Posted in Commentaries, Personal, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged accusing, complaining, criticism, rationalizing on January 28, 2015| 2 Comments »
Recently, an associate of mine shared some negative perceptions that they’d heard others express about me in the workplace. And while it’s never pleasant to hear that bad things are being said about you, I believe that my co-worker’s intent was to genuinely help me. Undoubtedly, receiving criticism can be very challenging, and I must admit that I’ve cycled through a range of emotions. Part of me wants to make the case that these folks really haven’t taken the time to get to know me, and part of me wants to explain that I’ve been placed in a somewhat precarious job position in recent years. Yet another part wants to be offended, and to vehemently deny that there is any truth to these viewpoints. But ultimately, all of those actions would prove to be counterproductive.
When I take a deep breath, and try to look at things objectively, I can understand how someone, who has only seen me in my current job context, might draw some negative conclusions about me, and my work ethic. Though I don’t feel that these are representative of who I really am, or what I’m capable of, I do have to accept some ownership of the fact that my handling of this situation has not been sufficient to quell these unflattering perceptions. I guess I have to ask myself, “Can I do more?” or “Can I do better?” And the answer to those questions is “Yes, I can.” So instead of defending, accusing, rationalizing, stewing, or complaining, I just need to step up, and prove these criticisms to be invalid.
These folks are not particularly interested in my almost 25 years of performance at the plant, they want to know what I did yesterday, and what I’m going to do for them tomorrow. Generally, that’s how real life works.
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