Learning how to respond to criticism

Apelles has an interesting post on taking criticism. He starts out by writing,

"I received word about some criticism of me recently. The news came secondhand and long after the criticism had been leveled. It still hurt. If you’re like me, criticism is not easy for you to deal with. Being criticized can reveal anger, the fear of man, and self-vindication. In short, it can expose raw pride.

One of my initial reactions to criticism tends to be anger. I want to know who said what and why, and then I want to unload on them. The anger gnaws away, overcoming even repeated attempts to push it back. I want to lash out and hurt the one who criticized me. I want to make them pay in some way. Regardless of the form, I seek vengeance.

Ironically, criticism also reveals the fear of man. I fixate on the opinions of the very people who stir my anger. Criticism stings so sharply because I value the opinion of others so greatly. My ability to please or impress is challenged by criticism, and because I wrongly value my worth in others’ eyes criticism cuts like a knife."

Read the rest.