Criticism. I think it holds so many of us back from bringing 100% of ourselves to our work and the things we create. Whether due to the opinions of others that have been shared both to our face and behind our back, or just the fear of the possibility of being criticised, it's something I've battled with over and over again these past few years.
I recently watched this 99U talk with Brené Brown on Why Your Critics Aren't The Ones Who Count and it completely changed my perspective on criticism and deciding which opinions matter to me and my work. In her talk she shares a quote by Theodore Roosevelt that changed her life, and it hit such a nerve with me and I haven't been able to forget it ever since.
The Man in the Arena
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
The fear of criticism can consume us if we let it. The critical feedback from others can hold us back from daring greatly and taking risks with our work, and Brené's wise words opened me up to a new approach to deciding which opinions and criticisms matter to me along the way. If you're struggling with this too, today I'm sharing three questions I ask myself when deciding whether or not I want to make space in my head, my life, and my work for an opinion or critic, and ultimately how I continue to create without the fear of criticism holding me back.
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