Have you ever been afraid of being criticised?
We can spend a lot of our energy trying to fit in when we could spend the same amount of energy trying to stand out!
One of the reasons we don’t like to stand out is a fear of criticism. Which is often tied to the perfectionist in us.
When we do show up and we do stand out we give ourselves a better chance of getting more of what we want but of course it comes with a risk. To overcome that risk, which is normally based in fear, ask yourself;
Who or what is more important than my fear of being criticised?
That was a question that I had to ask myself recently as I was procrastinating on finishing my professional speaker showreel. More on that in a bit!
We all make important decisions every day whether you are deciding if you are going to; go for that promotion, contribute to that article, share that idea, join a certain project meeting or speak up to your colleague etc etc – there is always a chance you’ll be criticised.
When you are making those decisions and the fear creeps in, there’s such value in shifting your mindset from ‘fear of criticism’ to ‘curious for critique’.
- Generally comes from someone with a level of expertise
- Is specific
- Is constructive (what you could do)
- Compares you to who you could be (potential focussed)
A Criticism
- Generally comes from someone who does not hold much expertise
- Is vague
- Is destructive (what you shouldn’t do)
- Compares you to others (inadequacy focussed)
This helps me so much not only when I choose who I will approach for feedback but also when I receive it unrequested! (People do love to give it unrequested don’t they?!)
For example, for my professional speaker showreel, I sought feedback from some fairly important speaker booking agents and event organisers, who see thousands of professional speaker showreels. Was I afraid? Yes! Did I remind myself what was more important than the fear? Yes! Positively impacting one billion lives isn’t going to happen if I don’t get on more stages! So did I breathe, get my ‘curious for critique’ mindset on and press send, YES!
Stepping outside your comfort zone isn’t easy I know I’m right there with you lovely ones but, trust me, it is much less painful when you start to notice what’s coming back – is it lazy criticism or is it an opportunity filled critique?
Regardless of what others think or do, if you’re looking to get better at anything in your life, you are going to find yourself outside your comfort! But never fear, we are here to empower you to create a life of possibilities! See my > top tips page for lots more practical tips and inspiration!
This week’s my challenge for you is to actually seek out critique. Step outside your comfort zone, do something challenging and ask someone to critique it.
Finally – with all that in mind (#ipracticewhatipreach!) and with a deep breath in, I invite you to watch this week’s video, which is my completed professional speaker reel. Feel free to reply with your critique! Eeeeek!
Finally, if no one else tells you today, let me be the one to tell you I’m grateful for you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your day and thank you for being a part of my world.
With gratitude,
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