Zen and the Art of Hearing Criticism

I have to admit that when I came across the blog Zen Habits (thanks to Lifehacker), I thought Oh, touchy feely advice from people that go ohmm…. Completely unfair, I know, especially because there's much to zen that intrigues me even if there's more that I don't understand. But I wanted to admit this upfront because I think many people have a similar knee-jerk reaction.

Anyway, Zen Habits is a delightful and sincere blog written by Leo Babauta that covers

achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.

It's one of those blogs that has a lot to it, and even if you're not into "zen" or posts on meditation, eliminating debt or eating healthy, there's plenty of other material that's worth looking at.

Take, for example, the post on accepting criticism "with grace and appreciation."

How do you deal with criticism? I think the first reaction for most of us is to defend ourselves, or worse yet to lash back.

And yet, while criticism can be taken as hurtful and demoralizing, it can also be viewed in a positive way: it is honesty, and it can spur us to do better. It’s an opportunity to improve.

We all face criticism regularly - from our boss, from co-workers, from clients, even from subordinates. Sometimes it's malicious. There are people out there, unfortunately, who use criticism as a weapon. But often it's a part of the dialogue of getting things done, and in that context Leo's absolutely right when he says criticism can be valuable. His advice on the subject is a bit lengthy, so I'll just include his subheads here.

Stop Your First Reaction
Turn a Negative Into a Positive
Thank the Critic
Learn from the Criticism
Be the Better Person

Of course, on the other side of the conversation should be the notion of criticizing with grace and appreciation. When you get those kind of dialogues going, they can be almost fun.

How to Accept Criticism with Grace and Appreciation [Zen Habits]