I am somebody who hates criticism. I dread getting papers back in school because I realize that there will inevitably be criticism from a professor about how the paper could have been improved. For this reason, I have always liked multiple choice tests in which the answer is either objectively right or wrong. When I began my internship this past summer, I dreaded the thought of having to sit down and talk with my supervisor about my work performance because I knew that this had the potential to lead to criticism. Even as a child, I hated being told when I was doing something wrong.

Lately, I have been trying to embrace constructive criticism and use it to better myself instead of taking it so personally. I am starting to realize that constructive criticism is the key to having successful friendships, relationships, and working relationships. Without criticism, I will never be able to grow or improve.

First of all, constructive criticism allows us to think about our work and think of all the ways in which it can be improved. It helps us to make our work stronger. The workplace is a place in which I constantly hear people giving others their constructive criticism. People generally don't like criticism because they find it insulting. In some cases, I have heard criticism delivered in an offensive way, so it's important that when we do criticize somebody that we think carefully about the delivery. Yet criticism is so important because if my coworkers never brought anything up to my attention, I would likely not do my work to the best of my ability. If we don't hear feedback from somebody else, how do we know if the work we are doing is good? Personally, I would rather know what I am doing wrong so that I can correct it instead of making the same mistakes again and again.

In any relationship, constructive criticism is a useful tool. Take for example a relationship with a boyfriend. What if your boyfriend is upset that you are always late and he thinks that it means that you don't respect his time? By hearing his opinion, you are able to correct this fault and as a result work out this minor relationship issue. Criticism allows for people to be honest with each other and it helps you to correct an issue before it becomes an even bigger problem.

I think that the key is to stop seeing criticism as a bad thing and to instead see it as an opportunity to be the best version of yourself. Teachers, coworkers, friends, or significant others are all people who offer their criticism in order to help you better yourself. When receiving criticism, remember that other people are able to see your work and your faults from a outside perspective and this can be extremely valuable insight to have.

At the end of the day, we are all people who are trying to be the best people that we can. We are already smart, but what if we have the potential to be even smarter? We are already doing great work, but what if the work could be improved further? I guarantee that if we all start seeing constructive criticism as a good thing, we will improve in ways that we never thought possible.