Getting Schooled – Being Open To Life’s Lessons
Taking criticism is hard; no matter how constructive it is, because being wrong sucks. No one likes to be “schooled”, but it happens because that is life. Eventually, you are going to make a mistake, and someone is going to tell you what you did wrong. So how do you take it; (1) do you argue your point, (2) sit in the corner crying, (3) give up completely or (4) learn from your mistake?
You can go to Facebook any time of day and see the pattern; most start with options #1-3 and usually skip right by #4. They argue their point profusely, followed by a break down (this phase usually includes name-calling) and then they give up and walk away (crickets).
Rarely is anyone 100% correct, because life is about perspectives, formed from experiences. The key to gracefully accepting criticism is to remember, there is something to learn from every interaction including how to better interact with others. This applies even if we are right because how we gracefully accept and/or decline criticism speaks volumes about who we are as a person.
“Grace is not part of consciousness; it is the amount of light in our souls, not knowledge nor reason”. -Pope Francis
So often, we are caught up in what is right in front of us, the physical; the facts; the hard points that we neglect to see life’s true lessons. It’s not about how many facts can be crammed into an opinion; it’s about connecting with the person who has a different opinion. There is so much to learn from being uncomfortable, like compassion, understanding, and empathy.
“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” -Peter McWilliams
Some of the people I enjoy talking to the most are very different when it comes to life experiences and perspectives, but what is similar is the ability to communicate with an understanding that we may come out of the conversation with a new perspective.
As I stated in my Window of Perspective piece, “Our life is one million and one moving, breathing, loving parts. The view changes regularly because that is life, but we all have a story to tell. Will you choose to let the light shine in your window?”
In order to be prepared and open to criticism (warranted or not), we must work daily to be open-minded. This can be uncomfortable initially, but rewarding in the end. Imagine a life without the need to have your opinion validated. Or feeling satisfied knowing you gained a new experience because someone “called you out” and shared his or her experience with you. Imagine “seeing” past the right vs wrong and “knowing” that there is no score in the game of life.
