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Ever had someone talk smack about you in the workplace? Ever sensed that you were being perceived in a non-flattering way? Ever had someone call you out for being too aggressive (or insert another not-so-nice word here)?
Well, who hasn’t.
The challenge is not what people say about you or around you, but more in how you respond to it. After all, our response to situations is the only thing in life that we can actually control.
But that’s easier said than done, right?
When thinking about what someone has said about you or to you, the number one most important thing that you can do is to try to put yourself in their shoes and consider where that feedback, comment or statement is coming from. Is it coming from a place of jealousy? Or anger? Or resentment? Or fear?
More likely than not, it isn’t really about you at all. And by reframing it, you can release your own emotion around the situation and see that it is their own baggage, not yours.
Certainly, you want to take feedback and criticism with the attitude of “how can I grow from this” but don’t let someone else’s baggage weigh you down. Only you know who you truly are and no one else knows your beliefs, values or drivers – and intent in a specific situation. Take a pause to reflect on what you could’ve done differently or better, but don’t let the opinion of a single person send you down the rabbit hole.
And if none of that works, simply smile. You know the whole adage of “kill them with kindness”, well that definitely applies here. Joel Osteen once said, “When someone is rude, keep a smile on your face. When you stay on the high road and keep your joy, you take away their power.”
Blog post inspired by Nikki Muntz