Criticism vs. Appreciation

Most of us have been trained to criticize. We look for what’s wrong. We spot the errors, the mistakes, the things that could have been better.

We even pay people to be critical. We have music critics, theater critics, movie critics, book critics, art critics, restaurant critics.

There’s just one problem with all that criticism: It feels lousy.

Being critical of others — and being critical of ourselves — is all about focusing on what we don’t like.

So, what’s the alternative?

Simple. It’s focusing on what we do like.

The opposite of criticism is appreciation.

The good news is being critical is nothing more than a habit. And it’s an easy one to break.

If you find yourself being critical and you want to feel better, all you have to do is stop and choose to be appreciative.

Instead of looking for things you don’t like — instead of looking for errors and mistakes and things that could be better — look for what you do like.

Look for things that are done well. Look for things that are thought-provoking, inspiring, clever, fun, funny, charming, cute, sexy, pleasurable, delicious, satisfying, thrilling and invigorating.

(You can see how that might feel better than looking for things that are weird, bad, icky or awful, right?!)