To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.
Aristotle
There is something toxic about criticism, even when it’s well intentioned.
It hurts and stings. Sucks the life out of you. Winds you hard and numb.
Criticism is unpleasant and a most difficult part of who you wish to be. It is the single most important building block for self development. A harbinger of change. A step not to be missed, if you have any hope of transforming yourself into someone you’ve never been.
You can’t will yourself into becoming great. Not without some help along the way.
You have to leave your childish ways behind and learn to control your irrational abhorrence for criticism, or nothing will ever change. If you do, with the passing of time, who knows, you might even surprise yourself by loving criticism a little.
Of course you could just do what many people do and avoid it all together.
Just say nothing. Do nothing and be nothing.
But be careful not to run down that path too quickly or stay on it for too long.
That path which leads to saying or doing nothing over time hurts a hell of a lot. It’s an existential vacuum with very few moments of relief. A hell of your own making.
I don’t think there is enough opioids or bottles of Cabernet Souvignon, to ever drown the feeling of being nothing. There is precious little you can do if you trade in being human to become a piece of driftwood.
You are never adrift.
You have a purpose and there is a meaning to your life.
You will certainly be missed when you are gone.
Being nothing. Doing nothing. Saying nothing is never an option.
So don’t fall for the trap and don’t avoid criticism, ill intent or otherwise.
Criticism is reserved for that that have the courage to live and make a ruckus. They make mistakes but have a willingness and openness to become someone they have never been.
Nothing in the universe is permanent. Everything is in constant and perpetual motion. All actions have equal, but unrepeatable reactions. You may think that every year is the same as the next and that all the seasons repeat themselves but no raindrop is the same, no leaf repeats, and no snowflake ever hangs around. Once its gone, it is gone.
Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Everything you have done in you life can either be mended or improved upon. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve tried to quit something, or how many times you’ve failed. Tomorrow is a new day and another chance to do something you’ve never done. To be someone you’ve never been.
But not without criticism.
Don’t avoid what your friends or enemies have to say.
In their words lies the blueprint of a good life.
