Everyone's A Critic

I’ve noticed over the years that criticism is a very big part of almost every single person’s life. Criticism can either help you grow into the best person that you can be or it can break you down; it all depends on how you take it. I’ve known people that were absolutely great at sports and they could have been so much better if they would have been able to just take criticism. Coaches would always try to suggest things to make them a better player but they were “uncoachable”.

It made me mad seeing all of these great athletes and listening to my dad give them constructive criticism that they wouldn’t take. I guess I did the same thing at times, but eventually I began to take constructive criticism and try to build on my skills. I also think that if you learn to take constructive criticism it will help you grow as a person. People don’t only give criticism to you as an athlete, but also in life in general. Some people aren’t afraid to speak their mind and tell you how they feel. The key is to take that comment and use it to better yourself.

With all that being said, I want to shift into the idea that I am my biggest critic. Everyone is a critic at one point in their life, especially of themselves. Sometimes it’s good to criticize yourself because it is a good way to better yourself, but too much self-criticism can lead you down a pretty dark path. Then again, if you aren’t hard enough on yourself you can also lead yourself in the wrong direction and get caught up in things that you shouldn’t be doing. It happens to a lot of people and the most important thing is you learn to stop whatever you’re doing. You need to crack down and work hard to get where you want to go.

Honestly, I’ve been getting sidetracked lately. I haven’t gone to the gym very much at all. Now is time for me to focus more than ever. Classes are just about to start to get back into action and baseball is right around the corner. This isn’t the time for me to lose sight of one of the best things in my life right now. It’s time for me to look in the mirror, to see my flaws, and to criticize myself on the things that I don’t like. Ultimately, only I can push myself in the direction that I want to go.

Anyone can criticize themselves to be a better person. You just need to find that happy balance that will help you push yourself towards your goals but will keep you away from completely putting yourself down. I know from experience that it isn’t fun when you put yourself down for things that are completely out of your control. I used to criticize myself and beat myself up over things that I couldn’t change because I felt like I was at fault. Now that I’ve seen both radical sides of self-criticism, too much and too little, I can now drive myself correctly.

You’re going to have friends, family, and team mates giving you constructive criticism along the way too. It is also important to take their criticism correctly. Realizing that you’re in the wrong is a big part of that. Once you realize that those people actually care about you and aren’t happy with what you’re doing you can begin to work on things and to change your habits. In the long run, it’s better to change and be successful than to throw everything away for a little fun.

Thank you to all of those people who have criticized me over the years and been there for me to show me that I need to change something. You guys know who you are and I want you to know how much I appreciate your concern for me. In the end, the road of no criticism is lonely. You forget what your goals are and begin to not care. Try to criticize yourself if you can, or find someone else to do it for you. People can change, and sometimes it just takes a little criticism to realize that you need to. 

-Eric Proulx