Feedback Thoughts and Article Breakdowns

Hello all! For today's second post, I have been asked to write my thoughts about two feedback articles I chose and about feedback in general. Both articles I read were really well written and related to my personal struggles with learning from mistakes and handling self-doubt/perfectionism, so I'm excited to dive in!

The first article was written by the Harvard Business Review and talks about negative self-talk that is fueled by self-doubt. The article describes two very successful individuals who are well respected and liked, and then shows how they deal with very negative inner voices. I have struggled with something very similar: I would make a small mistake or something wouldn't turn out quite right and I would be overwhelmed with thoughts like "Why did you do that?!" or "You're a failure" and these thoughts can be deafening. Instead of trying to forcibly silence this harsh inner critic, the article suggests instead giving that critic "a bit of compassion and friendly reassurance." I can wholeheartedly agree that once you start responding kindly to your inner critic, it tends to step back and let you make mistakes, receive feedback, and grow. It takes time and patience, but it is worth it.

The second article, titled Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work, was just as amazing and resonated even more with me because it was written by a teacher. The article outlined seven concrete steps that someone could take in their quest to crush self-doubt. His tips, such as not comparing yourself to others and abandoning trying to be perfect, were pretty general, but he presented concrete examples of how it would look in the teaching profession. The most inspiring part of his article was his attached video, Dear Teachers, You Don't Need to Be a Superhero.

In the teaching profession, we're not here for money and fame but instead we are passionate about helping young people. While that passion is good, it tends to leave a lot of us trying to save all the children in the world and subsequently failing at that. At the beginning of another busy semester, it was a breath of fresh air to be reminded that I am not expected to be perfect. The important part is to keep improving and to give yourself permission to be yourself. This picture was at the bottom of his article and it was an amazing reminder that the only way to improve as human beings is to be unafraid to be ourselves and to learn from our mistakes while maintaining that self-confidence.

(Photo found on John Spencer's website)