If it stings, let it stick.
If it’s true, let it be glue.
If it’s wrong, let it be gone.
There is such a struggle within us to not hear the tough stuff, because then we’ll be confronted with how we truly feel. But our “feelings” are our passport to our inner truth - our innate wisdom, so if we avoid “feeling bad for a few seconds” we risk missing a profoundly impactful moment. None of us are meant to “get it right” … it’s a learning journey for us all.
Parent / child; Manager / Team member; Partner / Partner; Customer / Team Member; Coach to Player. We all take turns at being vulnerable and honest, and we take turns at being the sage or the novice alike. It can feel crap accepting someone’s truth about us. So let’s take turns at being brave enough sit with the other person’s reality of us. All of it is powerful because any insight into our psyche’s development is wisdom.
The practice of giving feedback, and more so receiving it, allows us to assess how we feel around both. Do you love giving it more than receiving it? This insight can give us awareness around our intentions - obvious & less obvious.
Feedback is that simple. Someone else’s version of you, or yours of them. It’s not right. It’s just different - it’s their version of you. Don’t throw it back. It takes courage to give feedback - and just as much to receive it with the intentions intended. It usually means they care - so try it on for size. See what they see. Feel what they feel. Hear what they say. Can you immerse yourself in their experience of you? Now that takes true courage…. the ultimate experience of empathy! “There are no failures in life, just FEEDBACK!”