If you want to avoid criticism completely then you have one choice only – ‘say nothing, do nothing and be nothing’. No matter what you do or say there will always be someone out there ready to criticise you.
We are so desperate to be popular and want to make a good impression that the slightest criticism can sting like a bee.
If you take criticism personal all the time then you will never really live your life to the fullest because you’re always scared of what others have to say. But how do you overcome this fear?
You have to understand that you can not stop people from criticising you unjustly, this is never possible but it is your decision whether you just laugh at it or let it disturb you.
If you just laugh at what is being said then what can they do to you? You can answer the man who answers you back but what can you do to the man who laughs?
This does not mean you should avoid all criticism because some can be very useful to you. But never be bothered about what people say as long as you know in your heart of hearts that you are right.
Lincoln’s description to how he handled criticism has become so popular that even Churchill had it printed and hang on his wall.
He said: “I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, then what is said against me won’t matter. If the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels swearing I was right won’t make a difference”.
