How to Impersonalize Criticism
Before we begin we would like to congratulate you for making it to this article for two reasons; firstly, because you want to learn to become a better person and secondly, because you have quite an impressive vocabulary to have searched ‘impersonalizing criticism’ instead of the more simple terms.
There is nothing that has the potential to develop one’s character than criticism. The truly successful people in this world have had more than their share of criticism but rather than letting it bring them down, they channel it in such a way that actually ends up spurring them on. You can also learn to do the same thing if you follow some easy guidelines.
Instructions
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1
Kill the ego. If you really, truly want to impersonalize criticism then do not let it affect your ego. Treat everyone as if they are an expert on the subject matter. Take away one or two points from their criticism based on facts. Wherever they are factually correct, then accept it, otherwise simply ignore the rest of the blabbering.
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2
If the criticism is baseless then the best thing to do is look into the person’s eyes for a few seconds, raise your eyebrows and make an expression as if you cannot believe he or she is serious. Let out a sly grin, chuckle a bit, shake your head slowly and walk away. This will leave the person wondering what it is that you know and he doesn’t and will make him second guess himself.
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3
Another method of impersonalizing criticism is to create an imaginary third person in the conversation. Instead of considering it criticism for yourself, consider it criticism of the third person. This will allow you to be objective. Make this third person as similar to you as possible. This way you can understand how much of the criticism is factual and how much is opinionated garbage.
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4
The best way to impersonalize criticism is to know that if someone is criticizing you then this can stem from two core reasons. The first is that the person feels threatened by you or is insecure. In this case ignore the person. The second core reason could be that the person is trying to help you develop. This could be a family member or friend. Take these things to heart as no one knows you better than those closest to you.
