Mental Health, Motivational, Philosophy

Criticism and Feeling Positive

Forestwood

 Gode ord skal du hogge i berg, de dårligere i snø.

Carve your good words in stone, the bad in snow.

Old Norwegian Proverb

I do love the way old words of wisdom offer us a way forward when we are stuck in our heads, with thoughts that do us no good at all.

Old proverbs offer us succinct suggestions and have many layers of interpretation, if we are open to listening.

Not only does the Norwegian proverb relate to criticism of others, it might also give us advice on how we view ourselves and how we react to criticism from other people.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Pexels.com

Criticism from Others

Is it possible to eliminate criticism?

Du kan unngå kritikk ved ikke å si noe, ikke å gjøre noe
og ikke å være noe.

You can escape criticism by not saying anything,

by not doing anything and becoming nothing.

Danish Proverb

The only way to escape criticism entirely is to follow the Danish proverb’s advice.

Accepting that there will always be people who criticize, regardless of what you do or how well you do it, is something we might have to hear, but not something we have to internalize.

If you say you want to be a dancer, they will discredit your rhythm.  If you say you want to build a new business, they will give you a dozen reasons why it might not work.  They somehow assume you don’t have what it takes, but they are dead wrong.

It’s a lot easier to be negative than positive – a lot easier to be critical than correct.

Spend time with Positive people.

Wise words from Marc and Angel.

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

37 thoughts on “Criticism and Feeling Positive”

    1. More effort? I think if you were inclined to see things as half empty by nature or upbringing, it might be much harder to see the glass as half full. I do agree though, it is much, much nicer and less stressful to look at life this way. Have you always been a glass-half-full inclined person, do you think? (this comment was picked up by the spam filters. Not sure why – but I have rescued it!)

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  2. “You can escape criticism by not saying anything,
    by not doing anything and becoming nothing.”
    I tried that for a while, it doesn’t work.
    Thanks for a great read, so true. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Indeed. If we want to opt out of responsibility, we opt out of life. It is a safe zone, but not very satisfying. How long did you try it for and can I ask what motivated you to move on from that?

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      1. Having chronic fatigue and PTSD didn’t help, or actually made it easier. I would say a year at its worst. I guess what helped in recovery was a tiny spark that wanted to get back to being a functional person which grew as I recovered.

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    1. Sunday has almost all gone, Jo. And another week upon us.
      Not all of us instinctively know how to handle criticism well or see the true intent behind the words spoken and thus, take it personally. Many critics seek to help or educate others in their criticism, or wish to exert a level of control over somethinh that usually stems from fear. It is easy to forget that if something upsets us, the discomfort arises from our own interpretation of the words and our attitude.

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      1. I agree completely. A comment was left on the blog this morning that I thought a bit harsh, but I gave it some thought before responding. I might have said the same were our roles reversed. 🤗💕

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      2. Well done on holding back and thinking through your response, Jo. It is so tempting at times, so easy to jump in and post a quick defensive answer, when we feel triggered. Using social media has taught me that many folks don’t even think to take time to forumulate a considered response and often type words that stem from a knee-jerk instinctive reaction. You were able to view the harsh comment from another angle and rationalise it in that way. Well done! Social media is so terribly fast paced and responses can be the same, posted quickly and without thought. Feelings are hurt and friendships dissolved. It is a shame and I wonder why we get so upset that we need to shout back over social media. Why don’t we just scroll past and set it aside? Would we say the same person to person?
        Thanks for commenting, Jo. I noted that you son was due to arrive. I am sure you will enjoy your long awaited time with him. I am hoping for you that he has now arrived safely!

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    1. Thank you Hester! I am so glad you stopped by. I see that you had an old Zephyr car. I also had one of those many years ago! Great cars. Loved them. Solid as a rock.

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      2. I know! Right, Hester? They were solid beasts but without seatbelts nasty injuries could be sustained in an accident. Mind you, the bumper bars were all chrome so if you had a minor bump into another car, there would only be scratches, not a crumpled up expensive mess with the light metal in cars now and their “crumple zones.”

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    1. I am so happy to hear that these words speak to you in a way that is useful, Sandra. I find that it isn’t easy to change habits that I have built a lifetime developing but I try hard to let them go when I realize they don’t support or help me in any way. I do hope you are able to re-frame criticism to see the intention behind the words is not to find any fault or lay blame. Rather it says more about the person’s own personal journey through emotions.

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    1. Good to hear that Lisa. You are not one of the folks that slip into negativity. Instead you are reinforcing positive neural circuitry. Goodonya!

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