“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”
What do you do when criticism comes? How do you respond to critique and judgment -- especially when it feels personal?
No one likes to have bricks thrown at them, but if you are bent on doing anything significant with your life, the bruises will come.
What if you could leverage those bricks and bruises?
Judo has always fascinated me. It's a method of martial arts that relies heavily on redirecting force rather than creating it. In other words, you learn to adjust the energy that's coming at you and use it to your advantage.
What if we could apply this strategy to criticism, opposition, and antagonism?
Elbert Hubbard writes that "To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."
In other words, when you set out to live a legacy life by doing something significant, there will be times when you will become a target. There will be situations when people will not understand why you make certain choices, ascribe to certain values, or invest your time the way you do. There will be people who not only do not understand them but don't respect them either. And guess what? At times, the bricks will come.
And if left unchecked, these bricks can hurt and discourage you from pursuing your goals.
But you have total control over how you respond when these situations arise and instead of choosing to become discouraged, you can choose a completely different response. You can choose to use the "judo principle," and redirect these criticisms, and use them to affirm your calling, strengthen your resolve, and push you closer to your dreams and goals.
Take the bricks thrown at you and use them to your advantage.
Look at these benefits of criticism --
Criticism means that you are doing something different and noticeable to others.
Criticism causes you to evaluate and reevaluate your purpose and why.
Criticism helps you discover what can be done better.
Criticism gives perspective and new perspectives lead to new growth.
Criticism keeps you from complacency.
Criticism teaches you to listen.
Criticism keeps you grounded.
Let criticism remind you that you have chosen to be true to yourself and run YOUR race, not someone else's. Embrace it, learn from it, and grow to new heights because of it -- because your dreams and goals are worth it.
