Skip to content
Andrea Thompson
  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Get Help
  • Store
  • Get Started today!
  • 0
0
Menu Close

Peace, perfection and criticism

Emotional
/
Andrea Thompson

Peace is a powerful force.

But peace is a choice, and one that I’ve discovered must be made every single day. And sometimes, multiple times in a day.

Here’s why: words have extreme power in our lives. We hear them all the time – from others, on TV, through social media – words are everywhere.

But we must be ok with hearing what someone has to say, knowing we have the power to agree with it or not.

Being heavily bothered by criticism is often a sign of perfectionism.

But criticism by others can’t be avoided especially if you are stepping into new things that are different from those around you.

It is healthy to not think of criticism as something to avoid rather, to realize it is a part of life’s learning process. Again, just because somebody criticizes, doesn’t mean we have to agree with it. We just need to discover how to deal with it.

Sometimes we get discouraged because all we think about is what we have done wrong, but there are also emotional baggage, mindsets, mentalities, and things we are thinking about that get in the way.

And we must let those go.

Paula Durlofsky, Ph.D., in her article “How to Let Go of Perfectionism,” gives some amazing tips to help you cope with perfectionism:

  • Become aware of your negative self-dialogue. Harsh and critical self-assessments reinforce perfectionism and procrastination.
  • Practice self-compassion. When we are compassionate with ourselves, our fear of failure is not exaggerated. Mistakes are understood as being a natural and normal part of learning and life.
  • Take the time to examine whether your goals and expectations are attainable. If they are not, give yourself permission to change them.
  • Break goals down into smaller steps.
  • Examine your irrational fears of failure with a professional. A professional can help with putting your irrational fears into perspective and help you to reach your full potential.

Anyone who knows me would say that I am passionate and committed to being excellent. However, I have had to consistently let go of mistakes, criticisms and simply “coming up short” in areas of my life. I’m not settling for mediocrity, but in letting go of these things, and being willing to regroup and move forward, it’s actually propelled me into greater success.

It’s because peace is a powerful force. Use it to your advantage.

Share this post:
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on google
Google+
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email
Comments

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Laurel 25 Oct 2018 Reply

    Wow! I really need this!! Thank you!

  2. Ingrid Carlin 2 Nov 2018 Reply

    Amazing word!

  3. Menopausal Mama 21 Dec 2018 Reply

    Thank you for this article and your transparency! My self voices are enough and am using brain fasting to help rewire my brain, soul and emotions. My greatest challenge is living with a person that is a nah sayer. I need to figure out the holes in my soul so what is said bounces off of me. Your thoughts?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Read more encouragement

The only matcha I’ll ever drink

Matcha. At this point, you’ve probably heard of matcha or know someone who’s obsessed with it. After all, how could you not? It’s everywhere! And

Read More »
02/12/2020

New looks good on you!

There’s something about a new season in life. First day of school. First date with the future love of your life. Or maybe stepping into

Read More »
01/01/2020

Direction

When I was diagnosed with cancer in August of 2012, my entire world seemed to change in a matter of minutes.  I went from thinking

Read More »
01/12/2017
  • About Andrea
  • Store
  • Contact
Copyright 2021 - Andrea Thompson. You can overcome!
  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Get Help
  • Store
  • Get Started today!
  • 0
×
×

Cart