Fear of criticism

Every time you sketch, wear a shirt, send a message, make a suggestion, or deliver a product, you’re opening yourself up to criticism.

It’s easy to say that criticism is a good thing. We rely on others to help us realize and shape our boundaries. Criticism is a tool. But professional criticism comes with consequences. You could lose the company money, damage relationships with people in power, or make a fool of yourself in front of a client. Threats hide behind criticism, it’s no wonder we struggle to speak up.

Criticisms are not going away no matter how much you avoid it. What’s worse is when people tack on judgement to it. Fear must be managed and leveraged. Your fear is influenced by what you did when criticism came up last time.

Athletes practice to build persistence and resilience. Persistence is your continued effort despite opposition. Resilience is the bounce back. Football players are among the most watched and criticized in sports. Both teams are exhausted in time for the Superbowl. Each player on each team has to find ways to cope with the stress. But the winning team finds a better way to push back against the exhaustion and nerves.

Focus on qualities to work towards and not the one to avoid. You’re supposed to be afraid when something is threatening. The notable thing is what you do with it when it wants to overwhelm you. Find leverage. Push back. Dismiss it. The time to really process your fear of losing the game is after the game.