Do Not Seek Praise Seek Criticism

It is quite easy to get approval if we ask enough people, or if we only ask those who are likely to tell us what we want to hear. The likelihood is that they will say nice things rather than be too critical. Also, we tend to edit out the bad so we hear only what we want to hear.

So, if you have produced a pleasantly acceptable piece of work, you will have proved to yourself that it’s good simply because others have said so. It is probably ok. But then it’s probably not great either. If, instead of seeking approval, you ask, ‘What’s wrong with it? How can I make it better’?, you are more likely to get a truthful, critical answer. You may even get an improvement on your idea. And you are still in the position to reject the criticism if you think it is wrong.
-Paul Arden

“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”
-Norman Vincent Peale

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.,”
-Edgar Allen Poe

“The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.”
-Elbert Hubbard…who went on to say “To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”

“We can do things the cheap way, the simple way, for the short-term, and without regard for the future. Or we can make the extra effort, do the hard work, absorb the criticism, and make decisions that will cause a better future.”
-Mike Rounds  

…and remember, If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. And ‘no one’ includes accepting criticism – learn from it, improve from it, but do not let it absorb you or dishearten you. Let constructive criticism be the catalyst of improvement and growth.