"Criticism" by Zig Ziglar

Aristotle said criticism was meant as a standard of judging will. Addison said it was ridiculous for any man to criticize the works of another if he has not distinguished himself by his own performance. It has also been said that no one so thoroughly appreciates the value of constructive criticism as the one who is giving it. The world is hard on critics, but on occasion they have real value. Ask yourself this question: "What interest does this person (critic) have in me?" A parent, teacher, employer or coach has a vested interest in your performance. Unfortunately, many of them do not know how to effectively build a person up while giving suggestions that can make a difference.

The key is to criticize the performance and not the performer. My mother once criticized my performance by saying, "For most boys this would be all right. But you're not most boys--you're my son and my son can do better than that." She had "criticized the performance," because it needed improvement, but she had praised the performer because he needed the praise.