Don't be "nothing"

I did not entitle this article in order to give you advice. I don’t have the amazing power to convince you to believe in something if you are not motivated enough. I'm not highly motivated either and I sometimes look for excuses to avoid something I need to do. Sometimes I would rather agree to remain silent than waste my energy. But every time we ignore the criticism that is directed at us, we put ourselves in a position to be “nothing”.

Aristotle said a long time ago that the best way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, to do nothing, and to be nothing. But I am not sure If I want to be "nothing".

Receiving negative feedback is not easy at all. The initial reaction of most people who recieve negative feedback will probably be negative. Everyone tries to defend their views without thinking much about understanding criticism and using it to improve themselves. Negative feedback does not necessarily provoke a negative reaction. On the contrary, negative feedback should not be a "no" in our lives, but a big "yes", an unique opportunity to confront opposing opinions whose understanding in the right way can improve our work.

If we don't like other people's opinions, we can always have our own. This seems simple.

We are not "nothing". We have an unique voice. We have the answer. We also have a question. We have a mind that must not be locked.

Let's not save ourselves from criticism. It would be better to save ourselves from unnecessary praise. We should not stand in the shadow of the comfort zone and expect others to remain silent every time when we do something noteworthy, even though they may not have done anything and are therefore not fair players in a game where criticism is easily given to others.

Let’s be aware of ourselves, because we are not "nothing". We exist. And everytime when we have something to say, we need to say it. Some people will like it, some will not. Someone's opinion will be important to us and someone's not. If it doesn’t matter to you, ignore it. Don't say anything, don't do anything. Or you can say that you are not interested in criticism. And no, that’s not arrogant, it’s just a rational use of your time. If it matters to you, understand and use the criticism in the most appropriate way to improve your work and yourself as a unique person who is not "nothing".

Dear readers, these were my thoughts today. You may like them, and you may think they are pointless. Feel free to criticize, I will accept it. Your opinion always counts.

Thank you for reading.

Article and lead image are original and mine.