Receiving Feedback…
What is your first reaction when you receive feedback on something that you can improve?
· Do you feel faulty / that you failed? OR
· Do you feel excited as it is an opportunity to continue polishing and building yourself?
Receiving feedback is a gift. It is like having a mirror that helps me to decide what needs to be continued, shifted or realigned. I have to admit that early in my professional life, when feedback was not as positive, that perfectionist that lived in me kicked-in and it made me feel faulty. This caused me to put a lot of pressure to start changing to reflect what was expected. At this point, I did not necessarily have the clarity if that feedback matched my objectives to shape who I wanted to become. Let me explain a little more….
Feedback can come in many shapes and flavors. It comes based on the perceptions and reality of the environment and the experiences of the person that is delivering it. Then having a filter to process the information is key. My filter today is based on my purpose, the context of the feedback, and the impact that I am looking to create for me, the people and communities I interact with.
With time I understood that the actions I take to mend / reshape based on feedback are like Kintsugi… A beautiful Japanese philosophy that treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. We are all masterpieces that continue to be shaped. Those bumps in our journey are like those “repairs” lines of powdered gold, silver or platinum. They mark our lessons and wisdom that experience gives us to continue on our life path.
What is your first reaction to feedback? How do you process and incorporate it to your actions? Is it intentional to shape that best version of yourself or is it driving you to comply with what others expect from you?