Seek Earned Criticism

 

A general piece of wisdom that’s been popularly suggested over the decades is  “Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from”.

In most cases, this will serve you well. Think about it; if you wouldn’t trust someone’s advice - because they lack expertise, wisdom, or good judgment - then why let their criticism affect you? Being discerning in accepting criticism helps filter out noise and focus on feedback from credible sources.

However, like most good bits of wisdom, it’s rarely absolute - even people you don’t respect or trust might occasionally have valid criticisms or nuggets of wisdom from which you can benefit from hearing. Don’t take advice from x about y, where x is someone who is frequently wrong about y – is good advice. But x might be occasionally right about z, so be careful not to miss valuable insights.

All that said, if you are the sort of person who is sensitive to criticism, prone to self-doubt or easily discouraged, then it’s prudent not to be bothered or upset by criticism from people who haven’t earned the right to offer it. Sometimes good criticism can emerge spontaneously, almost accidentally, with some insight that transcends the reputation of the character. But by and large, good criticism requires wisdom, knowledge and discernment - so be careful not to get derailed or disheartened by unearned and unjustified criticism from those who haven’t demonstrated the credibility to give it.