Ready or not, criticism is coming. Honestly, you’ve probably got some stories about past criticisms and the mark they’ve left on your psyche. We all do! Criticism can leave you feeling weak, misunderstood, and vulnerable, but it can also make you stronger if you let it. 

Embracing criticism as a natural form of feedback and a great way to learn and grow helps make giving and receiving criticism easier. At some point, you might learn to thrive thanks to criticism. There are unexpected ways criticism can make you stronger.

Unexpected Benefit: giving and receiving criticism normalizes the practice.If you’ve heard the term snowflakeyou know how sheltered people can be. We live in a society where many people are afraid to fail. Failing to fail is the surest way to fail. In fact, failure is one of the greatest teachers. So is criticism. Giving and receiving high-value criticism normalizes the practice and makes it easier to identify:

• When to listen to critical feedback
• When to make changes
• The impact you have on others

And

• What makes you resistant to criticism

There’s value in this list! The most successful people have the ability to use criticism as feedback and make adjustments in their thoughts and behaviors based on the information.

Unexpected Benefit: giving and receiving criticism creates a culture of change.Being able to adapt and change is a great skill set. Having a mindset that embraces high-quality criticism as gateway to change makes sense. People who can morph and shift their focus tend to achieve at great levels and deal with an ever-changing world easier. Nothing stays the same and critical feedback can be helpful for making important changes that make you stronger and better over time.

Unexpected Benefit: giving and receiving criticism makes you less sensitive.The more you do anything, the better you get at it. Sensitivity comes from being afraid and resistant. The less you are criticized, the worse it feels when it happens. Just as a boxer gets used to having punches thrown their way, you can get used to criticism. Learning how to manage it can help you duck and weave and take it on the chin when it benefits you. Becoming less sensitive makes you stronger and better able to take risk.

Scrutiny can feel intimidating and cause defensiveness. That’s normal, especially when you aren’t used to criticism. Learning to embrace criticism as a natural part of life can actually make you stronger and more effective. Learn to allow criticism to become normalized and a valuable resource for your personal development.