How to Transform Criticism into Motivation

 As human beings, we all have our flaws. Whether it’s the habit of arriving late to events, or telling small white lies to our boss to save ourselves, there’s always an area we’re lacking in.

While some people are born gifted, that doesn’t mean they don’t have their flaws. For example, if someone’s smart, good at sports, and is an eloquent speaker, doesn’t mean their life is perfect. Perhaps they struggle with things like relationships, or even simple things like being organized.

The grim reality is that we are our own worst critics. No matter what anyone says, we are never satisfied with what we have achieved. This is because in today’s era, we’re always told to do more and be more.

It’s not uncommon for professionals in the corporate world to have high expectations of themselves. In fact, you probably know someone (or maybe it’s yourself) that is a perfectionist. We go out of our way to avoid a little bit of criticism by burning ourselves out.

The truth is, criticism isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You can choose to look at it as feedback, or you can choose to look at it as the threads that bind you. It’s your choice.

Turning Criticism into Motivation

Nobody’s perfect. However, we have the ability to learn and adapt to our surroundings. Failure leads to learning and learning leads to improvement. Your biggest source of motivation can be criticism. Here are a few ways to turn the words of your critics into a source of motivation:

Think About Why You See It Negatively

When we hear the word “criticism”, we automatically think of it as something negative. However, it’s important to think about it for a few seconds. Why do you think it’s negative?

If your boss gives you feedback on a project saying, “It could have been better, it’s needs to be engaging,” think about why you feel hurt. Is it because he or she said it wasn’t engaging? Does that mean that you’re uncreative and uninteresting?

If you think about it logically, it simply means that the project you worked on lacked that verve they were expecting. It doesn’t mean you lack the ability to improve and make it better.

Everything is trial and error. If you don’t make mistakes, how will you learn? Even some of the best chefs in the world created their famous recipes through trial and error. If we give up after the first try, we’ll never be able to know about the results of our efforts.

Use it to Solve Problems

Problem-solving abilities are extremely important if you want to find happiness and success in life. As cliché as it sounds, it’s true!

Criticism helps us identify areas we need to work. This then helps us find solutions to the problem. The more you think about the problem, the better solutions you’ll come up with. However, it’s also important to note that sometimes, there are no solutions.

Use it to Connect With Others

If someone criticizes your personality, use it to make necessary changes if their remarks are valid. For example, let’s say that without realizing it, you have a problem with boasting.

You think of it as a way of sharing your achievements with others but your colleagues and loved ones might not feel the same way. If someone lets you know, it’s the perfect chance to improve yourself. Whenever you feel the urge to say something that can come off as boasting, just stop yourself and think about it for a couple of seconds. Is it worth sharing? Can you phrase it in such a way that it doesn’t sound like you’re boasting? Think about all these things and it’ll give you better opportunities to connect with others.

Use it to Identify Your Good Points

Last but not least, it’s important to remember that just because somebody says you can’t do something doesn’t mean you can’t. Remember that we have the ability to learn and adapt. Use criticism to identify all your good points.

If you’re bad at being organized, perhaps your thoughts are more organized than your desk. If you’re bad at giving presentations, maybe you’re better at expressing yourself through writing. We all have strong and weak points. What’s important is that we learn to use all our strengths and weaknesses in a way that benefits us.     

Dr. Kaliym Islam has been known in the corporate industry for his leadership skills and training sessions. His consultancy and training platform has impacted thousands of emerging leaders. He has developed a 12-Inch rule leadership framework that enables emerging leaders to understand and execute adaptive leadership skills. Purchase his book on Amazon to gain more insight into work or hire him as a speaker for your events!