Quelling The Critic

As I revisted 'Brené Brown's: The Call to Courage' on Netflix, I was reintroduce to a familiar quote by Theodore Roosevelt.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

As creatives and entrepreneurs, we have to deal with both the outer and inner critic. I have faced critics very publicly on national television and had to manage my inner critic as I navigate through my career and relationships since I was a teenager.

Brown talks about ignoring the outer critic as most of them aren't qualified to criticise while she talks about the story that we tell ourselves as an extension of the inner critic in the documentary.

Quelling the Outer Critic

I believe that any work done that is noteworthy will invite criticism. These criticism can stem bear different intentions that come from a place of fear, fustration and/or jealousy. Some of it may bear the intention to cause hurt while others may carry the spirit of continuous improvement.

An approach that has worked for me in quelling the outer critic is to disengage by recognising that the critic has said his/her piece in a passing piece of work and my mind is already set on the next piece of work or a much improved version of the work. By not giving the critic your time and attention, the critic and their criticsim loses its power over you.

Another perspective is to see your critics as individuals who are working for you to improve your craft. Facing the critic and criticism with gratitude demonstrates grace and forbearance.

Quelling the Inner Critic

The inner critic is perhaps the most challenging of all to quell but its also possible to notice that any inner criticism is just a passing thought. It is therefore not your identity and bears more assumptions than truths.

Understand that the inner critic isn't kind and often much harsher than a living critic. Know that comparison will fuel the inner critic and ignorance to its condition will leave you feeling sapped.

A helpful mantra could be, "I have done the best I can with what I had. I am a self-improving being constantly moving through life with ease and grace. I am enough."

Let your work come from a place of love and lightness.

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@daylonsoh