1405: Constructive Criticism Is a Sign of Your Potential by Olabode Anise with Tiny Buddha on Career Success

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Work Daily, Episode 1405. Constructive Criticism Is a Sign of Your Potential

[00:00:06] [SPEAKER_00]: by Olabode Anise with TinyBuda.com. And I'm Dan, I'm your personal narrator and we're going to get

[00:00:13] [SPEAKER_00]: right to our post now for this Monday as We Optimize Your Life. Constructive Criticism

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Is a Sign of Your Potential by Olabode Anise with TinyBuda.com.

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Quote. Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.

[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_00]: End quote. Aristotle. Like a lot of kids, I grew up watching sports. Every Sunday afternoon,

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_00]: our family would gather around the big screen TV to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers play.

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: As a result, I began to idolize some of my favorite players and wanted to play the sport

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: that brought them such fame. But little did I know that the coaching would be so brutal.

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: In middle school, I went out for the football team wanting to earn the privilege of wearing

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: the glorious hoodies that only the athletes were allowed to wear. I was fortunate to be among

[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_00]: the ones who would survive tryouts and was even given the opportunity to start at strong safety

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: and tight end. Being a seventh grader starting at two positions would mean my coach would also

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_00]: have the opportunity to coach me up on both sides of the field. The week before the first game,

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: the head coach just kept barking at me. Either my routes weren't crisp enough,

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't hold my block long enough, or should have recognized the situation faster to make a

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: better defensive play. No matter what I was doing, it just wasn't enough to meet his high standards.

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I may never in the rest of my entire life amass as many push-ups as I had to do that week. Moreover,

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I remember walking to the car with my head hanging, as if it weighed as much as a ton

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: of bricks and my dad asking what was wrong. I vented about how my coach was riding me more

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: than the other players and that it was messing with my confidence. My dad began to tell

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: me that it was a good thing that he was coaching me so hard. He said,

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: When people stop giving you constructive criticism, they've most likely given up on you.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: I took my dad's words of wisdom and went into the next practices assured that my coach was

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: merely trying to make me the best player possible because I had the potential to

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_00]: do better than what I was currently doing. Receiving criticism is one of the hardest

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: things to do. You are constantly considering if the person who uttered the words is trying

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: to help you or if he or she is merely trying to put you down. It's also so easy to internalize

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_00]: everything someone tells you and that is perhaps the biggest mistake that could be made. At that

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: point, what someone has said is holding more weight than what you believe about yourself.

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: No one's words should ever be so powerful that you begin to doubt who you believe

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: you are as a person. As an 18-year-old, I'm quite sensitive to the critiques I receive

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_00]: about any part of my life. A lot of the time, I feel like I just know better and that

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I can handle myself. Moreover, if I needed help, I would ask for it. It also doesn't help that

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00]: there are many immature people who are always offering their two cents. However, I've realized

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: that you begin to receive more criticism when you are active. It is equivalent to how we treat

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: celebrities and athletes. Every move they make is critiqued, regardless if it is good or bad.

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_00]: If you are to make an impact, you are going to have those who will be critical of the

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: decisions that you make. Not many people care about the actions of those who aren't

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_00]: making meaningful moves. So the question is, would you rather receive no criticism because

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: there isn't anyone who cares? Or be someone who is actually doing something people care to comment on?

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Theodore Roosevelt once said, quote,

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_00]: It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_00]: or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again,

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: because there is not effort without error and shortcomings. But who does actually strive to do

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: the deed? Who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause,

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_00]: who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_00]: and who at the worst if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, end quote.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think it could be uttered more eloquently than our 26th president did.

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: The act of trying is sometimes so undervalued in a society that is based on results.

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Everyone thinks they should add their judgments if the expected result isn't produced.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Some don't believe they should even try if they don't think they're guaranteed to succeed,

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: and they may have to deal with critical comments. But I would like to offer my

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00]: rebuttal that no one was ever great without receiving judgments and criticism,

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and if we choose to, we can see those words as compliments.

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: If people are talking about you, odds are you're doing something right.

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled, Constructive Criticism is a Sign of Your Potential

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_00]: by Ola Bode Anise with tinybudah.com. This show is sponsored by Better Help.

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: We all have non-negotiables. Maybe you never skip leg day or have to take your morning walks,

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: but when your schedule is packed with kids' activities, big work projects, and more,

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_00]: it's easy to let your priorities slip. Even when we know what makes us happy,

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: it's hard to make time for it. Therapy can help you reclaim control of your time and values,

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: and make no mistake, therapy is for everyone. Whether or not you've been through significant

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00]: trauma, therapy can be a great tool for setting boundaries, learning positive coping skills,

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: and ultimately becoming the best version of yourself. If you're thinking of starting

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: therapy, give Better Help a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible,

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: therapist and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. Never skip therapy day,

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: with Better Help. Visit betterhelp.com slash workdaily today to get 10% off your first month.

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: That's Better Help, H-E-L-P dot com slash workdaily.

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And thank you not just to today's author Ola Bode, but also to Lori who runs tinybudah

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_00]: for letting us share this content. Tiny Buddha has been helping people heal,

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: grow, and find peace since 2009. The site features stories and insights from people of all ages,

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_00]: from all over the globe. For daily wisdom, you can follow Tiny Buddha on Twitter and Facebook,

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_00]: at Tiny Buddha, and Instagram, at Tiny Buddha official, or subscribe to the blog at tinybudah.com

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_00]: slash list. Also be sure to check out Tiny Buddha's inner strength journal,

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Creative Prompts and Challenges to help you get through anything. And that is available on Amazon.

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Content from Tiny Buddha is also featured across pretty much all of our podcasts. So again,

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_00]: a big thank you to Lori and please do come by tinybudah.com to show her some support

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: and to get a lot more great content. Okay, that is going to do it for me today. I thank

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_00]: you so much for being a subscriber or follower and have yourself a great day out there.

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: And of course, come on back tomorrow for another post. And that is where your optimal life

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: awaits.