FFT: "Reduce intellectual and emotional noise until you arrive at the silence of yourself, and listen to it."-Richard Brautigan
Today I got "criticized" at work. I wouldn't even call it criticism, really. More like a critique. What is the difference? From my perspective, being criticized is more subjective/emotional, while a critique is used to evaluate a given situation or person in an objective and analytical fashion.
7 months ago, in my mind, there was no difference between the two. If you were telling me I "did something wrong" I was crushed. If you praised me I felt proud. There were no grey areas. But OH! did this not serve me-to be so categorical in my organization of feedback. It made me ADDICTED to praise without understanding the richness and true meaning behind a critique. So when I finally figured this out, I realized this: It is EMPOWERING to understand that not everyone is going to like everything you do. It is EMPOWERING to take what I need from feedback and not bash myself over the head with the "noise." When I allow the feedback to resonate I can absorb it, silently parsing out the bruised ego from the lesson.
Today's lesson? If I call a meeting I should be on top of ending the meeting...even if it totally spirals and everyone is on their own tangents and people WAY MORE important than me are going on and on...if there is even the slightest lull in the room it is my responsibility to gently nudge everyone to conclude, while pacifying any fears by assuring the group that the issue will be resolved at a later date.
7 months ago I may have gone and cried in the bathroom because I "handled things poorly." Or spent three hours on the phone with my boyfriend (sorry Tom) or friend (sorry Amanda) trying to figure out why oh why! things went so tragically wrong.
By breathing in and breathing out. Getting quiet. Reducing the noise. And finding the lesson in the situation I come out winning. In fact...I am a better employee, leader, and meeting caller for it.
It is a lesson I have to keep on practicing. Listening with an open heart and letting the process of growing be easy. Choosing to grow through joy. If I am going to get feedback either way...I might as well find a way to enjoy it :).
Until tomorrow!
xoMorgan
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