Author Tara Mohr says there is a
link between the criticism that most hurts us and the negative
beliefs we hold about ourselves. Likewise, there’s a relationship
between the praise we most seek and the things that our
insecurities tell us. So it’s not so much the “words” as it is how
I attach them to what I am already feeling inside. The story tends
to be about us.
One of the most powerful ways we
can have a more useful relationship to praise and criticism is
always to look at feedback and say, “What does that tell me about
the person, or the people, giving the feedback?” Remember that
feedback always shows you information about the person giving the
feedback and it doesn’t necessarily tell you information about
yourself.