Criticism – Do you react or respond?

Criticism is something we all face at some point in life. Someone offering us an opinion relating to our work, or our views is just that, an opinion. It can often be that their opinion comes from a place of support and hoping to genuinely help us. We may even have invited the opinion. How it affects us is almost always about how we accept it. Do we react to it, or respond?

If you find yourself in a position of receiving a critical view from someone else, how do you accept it? Do you find yourself becoming indignant, or upset? If so the first thing to do is look inward, take a breath, and in that moment choose to respond from the heart rather than react from the ego. That breath allows you to let go of the impulse to react. Reaction can only reinforce that any criticism is negative, which is often not the case. Opening your heart to the opinions of others will bring you greater understanding of yourself and your business.

The other side of this is of course about how you offer criticism to others. You can reflect on the adage, “if you don’t want to hear the answer, don’t ask the question.” But use that moment of reflection to take the breath that allows you to respond, not react. Acknowledging that the question has been asked for a reason, and offering a constructive, positive response to a request for help will nourish relationships and strengthen respect for you and the support you offer to others.

Reflecting on 2022, how can you look again at your interactions with others. When offering or receiving support, or criticism, there is a simple phrase to keep in mind: “Breathe more, react less, respond in love.” As we suggested above, the ego reacts, but the heart responds, and we should always be looking to engage with criticism from a place of support and love rather than allowing the ego to overwhelm us and react from a place of annoyance or fear. Looking inwards helps us to take the moment that moves us beyond reaction, into considered response.

The mission of Yugen Wisdom is to bring hope, light and healing to our complex world, by starting with the individual, the neighbourhood, society, country, and world. We help develop their spiritual journey offering spiritual guidance to those who need help, support and direction in life and demonstrating that life continues beyond the physical. We would love to hear from you. Reach out to us to book a reading, event, or workshop.