Feedback Thoughts

 I read two articles this week about receiving feedback and dealing with negativity. Like most people, I would prefer to avoid negative feedback. Most of the time, I feel like I criticize myself enough, and I just don't want to hear it from another person. I would prefer that my peers and authority figures are always pleased with my performances and that all self-directed negative criticism is simply me being an "extra good" teammate or employee (like I'm going above and beyond to criticize myself). As I reread what I just wrote, I realize that working on receiving negative feedback is something that I really need to work on! 

The article "Why It's So Hard to Hear Negative Feedback" by Tim Herrera really hit home. I relate to the feelings of anxiety he described as people are receiving or waiting to receive criticism. I liked how he described negative feedback as an opportunity for growth. I think this would be helpful to me to consider when it's time for me to be criticized. I really do want to improve my performance in different areas of my life. And I know already that I am not executing my roles perfectly. So negative feedback really isn't telling me anything I don't already know, it's just providing me tangible steps to improve. 

The article "How to Get Past Negativity Bias in Order to Hardwire Positive Experiences" was a very interesting read for me. I've read about how negative (and traumatic) experiences can rewire your brain. This article describes that our brains have evolved this way in order to protect us, and has a "negativity bias" when it comes to processing information. We can consciously make an effort to rewire our brains with our positive experiences as well by using the method he describes in the article. I think this article won't really affect how I internalize negative criticism, but it may affect how I think about positive experiences in my life as a whole. 

President Obama listening - maybe to negative feedback? He's receiving it well. 
https://www.timesofisrael.com/obamas-israel-gamble/#gs.g31txy

Bibliography:

Herrera, Tim. "Why It's So Hard to Hear Negative Feedback." The New York Times, March 26, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/smarter-living/why-its-so-hard-to-hear-negative-feedback.html

Shwartz, Katrina. "How to Get Past Negativity Bias in Order to Hardwire Positive Experiences." KQED (2020). https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/44408/how-to-get-past-negativity-bias-and-hardwire-positive-experiences