No one really prepares you for how much criticism can affect your motivation.

One comment, one rejection or one careless opinion can linger longer than we’d like to admit, even when we’re doing our best.

It’s a tough truth, but criticism and rejection are simply part of life.

You won’t always get a “yes,” so rejection is also a natural part of the journey.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and people will speak freely. 

This is especially true in cultures where everyone feels they have a right to tell you what they think, whether or not it’s hurtful. 

How do you handle criticism without losing momentum?

Below are practical tips and strategies to help you process feedback, stay motivated and keep moving forward with confidence.

1. Flip the Script: Criticism is Feedback

Once you’ve accepted that criticism and rejection are inevitable, you can reframe them. 

I like to say that “feedback is a gift “. 

When someone criticizes you or says no, the question you should ask yourself is: “What can I learn from this? What are the lessons I can get out of this?”.

A key to finding the lesson is to separate the message from the messenger and the emotions. 

Often, the way someone said something is what truly hurts, not necessarily the content itself. Try to separate those emotions and the messenger to distil the message. 

Once you have a clear message, flip it around and ask yourself what lesson you can learn and start to apply.

2. Adopt a Growth Mindset and Keep Moving

Once you’ve extracted the lesson, ask yourself what you can do with it to develop yourself or improve your work. 

If the feedback was on a project, figure out how it can improve what you are working on.

3. Surround yourself with positive support. 

While people will always criticize or say no, an empowering circle of positive people will provide a boost. 

This positive support will be a bigger boost than whatever the negative criticism may have taken away from you. 

4. Keep moving forward; don’t stop. 

It doesn’t matter if one, two or three people have criticized or said no. 

I love the saying by Tyler Perry: “It doesn’t matter the number of no’s you receive, but one yes from God is all you need“. 

Keep going forward, turn that criticism into a lesson, take the lesson, apply it, empower yourself with the right circle and the sky is your limit.

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