Should we Listen and Learn from the Feedback we Receive from our World

All the actions we take or fail to take every day result in one outcome or another. Some of the outcomes, which we enjoy, are aligned with our needs and expectations and others are not. So in a very simplistic fashion, all we really encounter every day are events. They neither have a positive or a negative, meaning to us, until we give them meaning.

The meaning we give to anything is dependent on how these events stack up against our expectations. We give them either a positive meaning, if they are aligned with our expectations and needs or a negative one if they are not. There is therefore no such thing as a negative or positive event.

There are only events, which happen and depending on our values, needs, beliefs and perceptive background, we give these events meaning. The same is true about criticism or praise. All we get from our environment or the people around is feedback. We choose whether the information we receive from our environment is positive or interpreted by us as praise or negative or seen as criticism.

Learn to analyse any feedback you receive from your environment from a neutral position. Never allow any feedback you receive from your environment, about how you have responded to any events or rather any action you have taken or failed to take, to be viewed negatively or positively. View the feedback you receive as only information and based on the information you are receiving, make an informed and non-emotive decision, using the feedback or information as a guide.

Plan, Do, Review, Improve

If the feedback you are receiving, from your environment, is indicating that the actions you are taking are delivering the desired result. Then keep taking those actions. If the feedback is telling you that the actions you are taking are not delivering the desired results. Re-assess your actions and try to discover a better way of doing it, so that you can change the outcome you can achieve.

The crucial part of this process is to never allow yourself to interpret any feedback you receive as criticism or praise. View the feedback from a neutral perspective, free from any emotion, which may cloud your judgement. From a neutral standpoint, make an informed decision about the outcomes you are achieving. Too many poor decisions are made, and poor daily actions are perpetuated, for a very long time, resulting in undesirable outcomes, year in and year out, because we allow our emotions to cloud our judgement.  

Become Your Own Nurturing Coach

The secret to success, when interpreting any feedback, is to try to act like a nurturing coach, rather than a raging personal critic. Work to reinforce your own success by using feedback to assess you daily actions and to ensure that they are aligned with your expectations and needs. It is a very empowering experience when you are able to explore everything you do from a neutral non-emotive perspective. This is a really powerful success tool, which allows you to explore all the daily actions, without prejudice, so that you can ensure that they are aligned with the outcomes you want to achieve.

What is your Silent Conversation Telling you?

When interpreting any feedback you receive from your environment, be very aware of the silent conversation you have with yourself. Ensure that your internal conversation is nurturing and supportive. Your internal dialogue is such a powerful tool, which can support or limit your success. It is far easier to be inspired, driven and determined to succeed when you are say things to yourself like “You can do it”, “That is only a minor setback”, “That’s more like it” or “Well done, Great work” than if you engage in negative self-talk and say things to yourself like “I keep messing up, I am useless, etc.

Stand guard at the door of your mind and try to develop the success habit of always looking for ways to nurture and support your efforts, with your internal conversation. Think of yourself as a winner and train yourself to believe in your ability to bounce back. See any setback as merely a temporary inconvenience, an isolated incident and even a stepping stone towards better things to come.

Success is Inevitable

Reward your successes and allow yourself to enjoy the glow of achievement. Never feel guilty for your success. Accept compliments graciously and thank the person offering the compliment.

The real secret to inviting sustainable success into your experience is to become confident about your own ability to succeed. Build up a healthy dose of self-esteem and believe in yourself and your abilities. Never ever engage in bragging about your achievements. Show humility, people who trumpet their exploits or shout for service are really calling for help or are desperate for attention.

Be quietly confident in your ability to succeed, believe that you can overcome any obstacles, take inspired action daily, regularly assess all the feedback you receive in a non-emotive fashion and long term sustainable success is inevitable.

Author: Andrew Horton Motivational Speakers