Criticism is sometimes hard to swallow. As someone who has been writing and publishing fanfictions online for years, it's a fact of life that I've learned too well. I mean, who likes being told that they're wrong? Absolutely nobody.

But criticism is something that everyone faces on a regular basis. It's just something that we as people have to deal with. In everything we do, there are going to be critics. And it is these moments when we are being scrutinized that are some of the most critical in our lives.

You see, we have a choice when it comes to handling criticism. We can either handle it gracefully and maturely and learn from our mistakes, or we can react poorly and refuse to admit that we're wrong. How we choose to handle criticism is what determines how we grow as people.

Right now, we live in a society where our leaders have no idea how to handle criticism maturely.

When they are called out, they choose to blame others for their actions: the other party, the media, other countries, past leaders, and many others. They throw tantrums, call their opponents name, try to divert the subject to something else, offer pitiful defenses, lie, and refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

The leaders in our society are setting a poor example of how to handle life's critics. You see, if we are to grow as people, we need to learn to handle criticism maturely and gracefully. We need to be willing to admit when we're wrong and take responsibility for the consequences of our actions.

This isn't something that's easy to do, and I admit that I haven't always handled criticism well myself. Our brains are programmed to keep us from feeling uncomfortable, and when we're told that we're wrong, we don't like it. It's uncomfortable for us. We want to deflect the blame to something or someone else, or we want to tell the person criticizing us that they're the ones who are wrong.

But we have to learn to accept legitimate criticism, no matter how upset we may get. That means being mature when facing a critic. Instead of insulting them, treat them with respect. Respect may be earned, not given, but that's a two-way street. If they're being respectful to you, you need to be respectful back. Don't attack their character or tell them outright that they're wrong. Listen to what they have to say and think it over.

Criticism should also be accepted gracefully. When somebody brings up a valid point, it's important to acknowledge that. It may hurt, but if the critique is valid, then it will help you improve.

And while it's tempting to cry or show them how upset you are, you should keep a calm demeanor and think it over. If what you're being told is particularly upsetting, it's okay to step away for a moment and gather yourself instead of reacting right in that instant.

Instant reactions are impulsive and it's more likely to lead to more problems; whereas, if you take a step back and think over what you've been told, you have time to gather your thoughts and figure out how to react.

Ultimately, we need to learn from our mistakes. If somebody is making a legitimate point, we need to take their words to heart and adjust our behavior appropriately. Otherwise, we just keep repeating our mistakes over and over. And in many professions, repeating errors over and over again could mean the difference between life and death.

Which is why it is extremely important to recognize what constitutes as criticism. If someone is attacking your character or appearance instead of your actions, that's not a valid criticism. Good, constructive criticism is meant to improve someone's actions for the better, and attacking someone tends to not achieve that goal. It really shouldn't be purposefully belittling..

Valid criticism is something that everyone inevitably faces, since nobody's perfect at everything all the time. But the key to surviving in society is learning how to handle it. Be respectful to the critic, take a step back if necessary to gather yourself, acknowledge the valid points, and adjust your future actions to show that you've learned.

By learning how to handle criticism maturely, you'll avoid many problems, grow as a person, and learn new things. But you have to be willing to choose to accept it