Post 3: The Super Late Edition.

This is absurd, I'm having a really hard time thinking of an example for a moment that some form of criticism rocked me or made for an impactful moment in my life and I know there has got to be something....... I'm sure there is a moment along the way that occurred, but I'm afraid whatever it was did not leave a lasting impression enough for me to have remembered. I have definitely had moments where I felt that my work or the expression of my craft failed to live up to the expectations that I expected from my peers. I know exactly what it feels like to put something out there and not get hardly any feedback at all, which to me is almost just as if not worse than receiving negative feedback. I think that I typically tend to take all criticism or praise or whatever it may be with a grain of salt, perhaps its just a level of cynicism that I've reached in my life but I tend to shy away from taking word at face value. By this I mean, passing comments or impromptu conversations that don't last long and equate to just small talk nonsense that doesn't benefit either person involved. I typically loathe the very concept of small talk or conversing just to fill the silence. To me that's what passing criticism typically winds up being; forced or just banter that is brought about by a need to not only fill the void, but to placate the other person in order to avoid an awkward situation. This is true of most individuals, but not all. I truly admire people who cut through the bullshit and are completely honest, but particularly those who do it in the most considerately genuine and constructive way.....which is not easy. I tend to be the person who doesn't want to make things awkward when it comes to those passing conversations or really confrontations. However, if you get me in a quiet place and talk to me one on one, I will typically open up and have a genuine conversation that I feel will actually bring about constructive feedback that I feel is genuinely expressing my stance on the matter.
The one thing you have to learn in life is how to take a punch and get back up on your feet. Life is full of punches and sometimes you're going to get hard and you may even get knocked out, but the main thing to remember is that you can always get back up if you believe you can. In the industry we've chosen there will always be people who don't like you, who are envious or jealous of you etc. There is no way you will get anywhere in life if you allow the opinions of others to make you stagnant in your life and career. Take both the constructive criticisms and harsh scathing comments in stride and remember that you can learn from  the bad experiences even more than you can from the good.

Fortune Cookie Wisdom:

Without moments of failure, one cannot recognize what it truly means to succeed.