That's a good point , Hoss. Al Seibert says in the Resiliency course that a reality of life is that there will always be people who criticize you, call you bad names, try to tear you down, and tell you what you cannot accomplish. Strong Self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-concept can protect you from such attacks, and allow you to move ahead with your life.
Once you accept that no matter what we do there will always be people who are offended or will not like what we say or do, it becomes easier to react in a positive way. Even in a way that makes us stronger. It really is out of our control. So, you should try to focus on how you react to criticism and focus your goals on things you can control - your feelings, beliefs about yourself, etc.
Think of rejection as the other person's problem, not yours. Let rejection be part of your experience that makes you stronger. You can also learn from it. Many times our intuition will tell us something, warn us about getting involved with someone, but we ignore this message. When it turns out that it was not a good relationship, we can look back and learn from it. What signs did we notice but not act on at the time? See what you can learn, especially from experiences that are unpleasant.
Good luck!
[This message has been edited by Sandy Millies (edited May 29, 2003).]
