Accept, Embrace, and Grow – Constructive Criticism

by Ariana McGuire

There are many times in all of our lives when someone will tell us something about ourselves that we might not want to hear. Something we rather look past and disagree upon, something we rather argue and shrug off, rather than accept, embrace, and grow from.

Now, I am not stating that what everyone may say as a means of trying to give “constructive criticism” is true, it may just be an opinion, although we can learn a lot about ourselves from a different perspective through the constructive criticism that is given to us from the people surrounded by us.

Constructive criticism is something that for most of us, is a hard pill to swallow. How could something good possibly come out of being told that what we’re doing could be better? Surprisingly, there is a lot of good that can come out of this. As human beings, we tend to think greatly of ourselves and the choices we make, whether that be in school, the workplace, in social settings, etc. We hope and expect that the greatness we see in ourselves and in our work, will be rewarded and praised through the accolades and/or feedback we receive, though this may not always be the case. There are many times where instead, we receive the constructive criticism we may have not expected or wanted to hear. It is then that we must make a conscious decision to put our ego aside, despite the hours you spent on that project or the sleepless nights it took you to perfect something. It all comes down to the ego, the ego is what some may think helps us be the ambitious person we strive to be, unaware that the ego can be highly detrimental to self-growth.

In many cases, individuals will choose to reject constructive criticism, choosing to stick with what we think or believe instead because of our attachment to our ways. We think to ourselves, “but I’ve been doing this for so long and it has worked, how could it possibly be better? Why do I need change?” In reality, things can always be better, and we can always be a better version of ourselves. But that is entirely up to us and the conscious decision we make to put the ego aside. When we choose to accept, embrace, and grow from our flaws and what could be our old ways, we will then open doors and opportunities to the best version of ourselves that we never thought existed.