Sunday, December 19, 2010

Thought 155: On criticizing others


Some people are in the habit of criticizing others - even for trifling mistakes. Criticizing with a view to finding fault is not good; it hurts the self-esteem of the other person. When a person is hurt, he never learns; he only gets into the defensive mode. Pointing out mistakes with the intention of making the person to improve himself is OK, provided of course, the other person perceives it as such, positively. However, if he views it negatively, it would only result in eroding his self-esteem. It is very important for parents to note – when they are dealing especially with their teenage children.

Most people who are in the habit of criticizing even for small errors, never think of complimenting a person, even for jobs well done. If you do not compliment excellence, you should not comment on shoddiness also.

Never let go an opportunity to complement people for their accomplishments, however, trifling they are. There is nothing like a bit of applause to raise one's self esteem.

The next thought is about "Dealing with difficult people".

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