Learn How To Deal With Rejection And Criticism Today!
Introduction
Being a creative entrepreneur can be both rewarding and challenging. You get to pursue your passion, express your unique vision, and make a positive impact on the world. But you also face the risk of rejection and criticism from potential clients, customers, investors, peers, and even yourself. How can you cope with these negative feedbacks and use them to grow as a creative entrepreneur?
Related: Life Coaching Ultimate Guide
Understand the source and purpose of the feedback
Not all feedbacks are created equal. Some are constructive, meaning they are intended to help you improve your work or business. Others are destructive, meaning they are meant to hurt you or discourage you from pursuing your goals. To deal with rejection and criticism effectively, you need to understand the source and purpose of the feedback.
Constructive feedback usually comes from people who have your best interest at heart, such as mentors, coaches, colleagues, or loyal customers. They have relevant expertise or experience in your field and can offer specific suggestions on how to enhance your work or business. They also acknowledge your strengths and achievements and provide positive reinforcement.
Destructive feedback, on the other hand, usually comes from people who have ulterior motives, such as competitors, trolls, haters, or naysayers. They have little or no knowledge or experience in your field and can only offer vague or irrelevant criticisms on your work or business. They also ignore or downplay your strengths and achievements and focus on your weaknesses or failures.
To identify the source and purpose of the feedback, you can ask yourself these questions:
- Who is giving me the feedback? What is their relationship with me? What is their background and expertise in my field?
- What is the tone and content of the feedback? Is it respectful and specific or rude and general? Is it balanced and fair or biased and unfair?
- How is the feedback delivered? Is it given in a timely and appropriate manner or delayed and inappropriate? Is it given in a private and constructive way or public and humiliating way?
- Why is the feedback given? What is the intention behind it? Is it to help me grow or to hurt me? Is it to support me or to sabotage me?
By answering these questions, you can determine whether the feedback is constructive or destructive and respond accordingly.
Respond to constructive feedback with gratitude and action
Constructive feedback is a gift that can help you improve your work or business. It shows that someone cares about your success and wants to help you achieve it. Therefore, you should respond to constructive feedback with gratitude and action.
Gratitude means expressing appreciation for the feedback giver’s time, effort, and insight. You can say something like “Thank you for your valuable feedback” or “I appreciate your honest opinion”. Gratitude also means acknowledging the validity of the feedback and accepting it without being defensive or argumentative. You can say something like “You make a good point” or “I agree with you on that”.
Action means implementing the feedback into your work or business as soon as possible. You can say something like “I will work on that right away” or “I will incorporate your suggestions into my next project”. Action also means following up with the feedback giver and showing them the results of your improvement. You can say something like “I have made some changes based on your feedback” or “Here is my updated work based on your input”.
By responding to constructive feedback with gratitude and action, you can show respect for the feedback giver, build trust and rapport with them, and enhance your work or business quality.
Respond to destructive feedback with detachment and positivity
Destructive feedback is a poison that can harm your work or business. It shows that someone does not care about your success and wants to prevent you from achieving it. Therefore, you should respond to destructive feedback with detachment and positivity.
Detachment means distancing yourself from the feedback emotionally and mentally. You can remind yourself that the feedback is not about you personally, but about the feedback giver’s own issues, insecurities, or agendas. You can say something like “This is not a reflection of my worth” or “This is not relevant to my goals”. Detachment also means ignoring the feedback completely or deleting it if possible. You can say something like “This is not worth my time” or “This is not helpful at all”.
Positivity means focusing on the positive aspects of your work or business instead of dwelling on the negative ones. You can remind yourself of your strengths, achievements, and potentials. You can say something like “I am proud of what I have done” or “I have so much more to offer”. Positivity also means seeking out positive feedback from people who support you and encourage you. You can say something like “I appreciate your kind words” or “I value your constructive criticism”.
By responding to destructive feedback with detachment and positivity, you can protect yourself from the feedback giver’s negativity, maintain your self-esteem and confidence, and pursue your work or business with passion.
Conclusion
Rejection and criticism are inevitable parts of being a creative entrepreneur. However, you can deal with them effectively by understanding the source and purpose of the feedback, responding to constructive feedback with gratitude and action, and responding to destructive feedback with detachment and positivity. By doing so, you can turn feedback into fuel for your creative growth and success.
References
1: [How to Deal With Criticism 2: 15 Helpful Tips] 3: [How to Give Constructive Feedback (With Examples)] 4: [How to Handle Destructive Criticism] 5: [How to Evaluate Feedback] 6: [How to Accept Constructive Feedback] 7: [How to Respond to Negative Feedback]
