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Imagine this: You’ve worked for weeks to create a new teleseminar, eagerly prepared for the call, and then poured your heart into delivering something you want listeners to really love. Fifteen minutes after you hang up the phone, your Twitter account dings and there it is: a tweet from someone criticizing you and what you delivered.
It’s happened to me before and yes, it’s an “ouch” moment!
So let me ask you, do you immediately take to heart what the critic said and feel the pain of that sting? Do you get defensive, angry or feel resentful?
Or do you know how to see the gift and let it go?
Being a woman entrepreneur means expressing yourself, your ideas, and your creations. And getting them out into the world means you open yourself to being applauded…or possibly criticized.
Women often are unconsciously programmed to be pleasers. We learn at an early age to value others liking and accepting us.
But if you truly want to achieve spiritual and financial richness, you must learn how to handle the inevitable complaints or criticisms that may come your way. And to handle them with Divine Feminine grace and ease.
The alterative is to live in a state of perpetual fear, wondering who is saying what (I’ve seen this in action with one of my clients, and trust me, it wasn’t pretty!), obsessively checking Facebook, and making decisions to please others, rather than standing powerfully in your truth.
Which is why I’m sharing 4 powerful steps you can use for handling critical comments, without letting your self-worth take a hit:
Step 1: Start By Appreciating That You Can’t Please Everyone
Being a pleaser is exhausting. And it’s also not good business.
It’s time to put on your big girl panties and acknowledge in your heart (not just in your head) that you are not going to be loved, or even liked, by everyone. Having a strong point of view, even to the point of ruffling feathers, makes for a memorable business that will naturally attract the right clients for you.
Step 2: Considering All Feedback As An ‘Observer’ Will Remove The Sting
It’s tempting when being judged to backlash into judging the sender, but this behavior will only deepen the wound that’s been opened for you. So rather than judging the tone, the content, or the giver of feedback, consider this as the gift it is: an opportunity for personal growth.
A masterful technique is to step into another place in the room and look back at where you were standing. From this observer perspective, what is the usefulness of the feedback? Might your offer need adjusting? Perhaps you DO need to modify your delivery or your marketing. Remember: just because feedback is worded unkindly doesn’t mean it’s worthless.
Step 3: Notice What’s Triggering You
When you find yourself reacting to criticism, take a few minutes to consider what’s bothering you most, and in what way does it feel familiar. What bothers you most is an important clue to where you likely need to do some healing, which will lead to a powerful transformation for you…and a letting go of the power critical words can have over you. This is something you should be able to bring to your coach so you can get perspective and have a safe space to dig deep into this goldmine of personal growth.
Step 4: Create Emotional Completion
You always have a choice about how you react to harsh comments. When you’re clear and beautifully connected to Spirit, you can take what is meaningful and useful from the experience, and discard that which doesn’t uplift or inform you. Choosing to honor yourself while being open to possibility will not only will keep you from falling into a tailspin of emotions, it will bring closure so you can keep moving forward.
It’s true none of us likes to hear or feel that we aren’t universally respected and accepted. But the reality is that we cannot be everything to everyone. Trying to do so will only perpetuate emotional drama in your life and will sabotage the growth of your business.
Your business success AND personal happiness depends on you finding the courage to use feedback as a catalyst to step into a more magnificent version of you!
