How to Feel Invincible, Despite the Critics

Invincible: Too powerful to be defeated or overcome.
Synonyms: indestructible, unconquerable, unbeatable, indomitable, unassailable.

I just read a story that made me stop and think. The story is just a story, meaning it never happened—however, the point of the tale happens all the time in real life in different ways.

I’m going to share the story with you and six insights on how to be invincible despite the critics you’re bound to encounter from time to time–actually, too much of the time.

Let’s begin with the story:

A well-trained lifeguard hears the screams of a grandmother, “My grandson is drowning! Do something, you have to save him!” The lifeguard scans the ocean with his binoculars and spots the little boy going under and he runs down his lifeguard station ramp into the water. After two attempts of searching under the water and with his eyes burning from the salt, he sees the boy and dives down further to get him.

The lifeguard wraps his arms around the little boy and pushes off the sandy floor of the ocean and struggles to get him to the beach. When he finally gets to the beach he immediately administers CPR and brings the boy back to life. And instead of getting a big hug from the grandmother, she looks at him and says, “He had a hat.”

Of course, that’s an extreme story and not likely to happen in real life.

But what is likely to happen is you do something good for someone and instead of receiving gratitude, all you hear is criticism.

For some people, no matter what you do, it’s not going to be good enough, or fast enough or (fill in the blank here.)

If you want to thrive in life you have to become immune to criticism. I’m not talking about useful feedback you can learn from, I’m talking about the times someone is just bound to find something to criticize you for because it wasn’t perfect.

Here’s how to feel invinsible, despite the critics:

• Establish your own standards, live your life, not anyone else’s.
• Accept the fact there will never be a shortage of critics.
• Make sure you acknowledge yourself every single day and practice self-appreciation.
• Hear and take in the positive feedback you do get from others. Don’t minimize it out of a false sense of “humility.”
• If you want to accelerate your progress and happiness, read point number three every day.
• “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter, don’t mind.”- Bernard M. Baruch

(My thanks to branding expert Bruce Turkel where I first read the story I adapted for today’s post: http://turkeltalks.com/this-lifeguard-tale-tells-it-all )

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment or share your insights on how to become immune to criticism and negativity.

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