Giving Constructive Criticism

Happy Friday everyone! I know I promised a trip recap but I'm still working on it so I decided to go with a more personal post today. I wanted to focus on something I think many people deal with, which is how to take criticism. Personally, I find criticism very difficult to deal with because sometimes it can be hard to tell if something is meant to be rude or to genuinely help you.

There are times when constructive criticism can be a very good thing, but it needs to be said at an appropriate time. Going up to someone and criticizing them in front of friends or peers is extremely inappropriate, especially if they did not ask for your opinion. If you are having a problem with your friend or feel the need to point something out, make sure that you let them know you are trying to help and say it in private. There is also a fine line between helping someone as a concerned friend and coming off as a know it all busy body, so keep it to a minimum don't go on and on about it. Say only what you feel is necessary and then talk about it if the other person wants to, or just drop it.

This leads to my next point about criticism, it can be embarrassing, especially if the person knows they did something wrong. There is nothing more that I hate than when someone feels the need to correct me and go on about a minor mistake, because chances are I already know.

Constructive criticism has its benefits if you are doing it in an appropriate manner. It should be reserved for things that could benefit a person, not just any minor detail.

I think my problem with criticism is that I don't know how to handle it because I can't go back in time and change what happened. Also, when someone gives me passive aggressive advice to be rude or nasty I don't know how to respond. Should I say something back, ignore them..... and by the time I decide its too late to act. A lot of times this nasty criticism comes from jealously or insecurity, but I wish I didn't put up with it like I usually do. I never want to be mean to someone on purpose and when I see someone do that I don't want to be like them so I usually just smile the best I can and say thanks for your advice.

One last point: Just because someone gives you advice or criticism doesn't mean you have to follow it. Don't let people change you, make the choice that you think is best for you.