We live in a society where it seems acceptable that those in the public eye receive relentless criticism from onlookers.
Win trophies, raise your hand, stand in front – and society decides that gives everyone in the cheap seats the right to point fingers and dissect you. Worth noting: the ones bold enough to stand up are mostly the ones winning.
There’s something almost sport-like in the way we relish playing Monday morning quarterback – the sideline critics armed with hindsight, gleefully pointing fingers, dispensing “you coulda done this” and “you shoulda did that” like they had a front-row seat to someone else’s decisions. Funny how quiet it gets when the lens spins back around. Oh the sputter and stutter of it all.
Modern day Titans didn’t necessarily sign up to be role models – but the moment you step into the ring, that’s the deal. The fame, the cheers, the boos – it’s a package. Criticism, constructive and bullshit alike, comes standard.
We love a superhero right up until the moment they find themselves in a struggle. Then suddenly we don’t know what to do with them. 3 Doors Down said it perfectly in Kryptonite – “If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?” Apparently not. And the rest of us? Cheering from the couch, booing at the screen, allergic to complexity. Whiney bitches, the lot of us. One of humanity’s most wanton little quirks.
Most people are wagon riders. They’ll climb on when you’re winning and become Olympic-level jumpers the second you fall. Your crowd of friends and well-wishers shrinks fast – and nobody checks on the strong one after they hit the ground. That’s the cruel twist nobody warns you about.
Which is why it always pays to fall back on something bigger than yourself. Faith. Family. Building something lasting. Use what you have while you have it.
Here’s the truth, beautiful and smart friends – most people will fail you. They’ll fail to meet your expectations and fall short of whatever you envisioned for the relationship. Not out of malice, but out of simple humanity. We are all individuals, exercising free will on our own soul’s journey – and that is the ultimate purpose, for which we pay the ultimate price. Freedom comes with responsibility. First, do no harm. Which means we own everything we think, do, and say.
Words matter. Words heal, hurt, steal, give, build, and destroy. What you do with them is powerful beyond measure.
What most people don’t truly grasp – and I mean truly – is the difference between constructive criticism and just being a boorish, lord-over-others version of yourself. One holds validity. The other is just weak behavior dressed up as an opinion, sometimes an educated one. And sure, we’ve all been weak a time or two. You know what I mean.
When I think of critical strategy and strength to take shots from critics on and off the field – Tom Brady comes to mind. A critical thinker, forged by pressure, tested by other critical thinkers. The difference now? They trade quips in newspapers instead.
GOATs don’t bow to failure. They fall, learn, dust off, and go again. A true GOAT understands that everything is a process – fall, learn, do better, win. Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s the curriculum.
Again with Tom Brady (sorry, Tom – I’m using you as an example and you didn’t ask for it bro lol) – God-given talent, worked to the bone, and he had a great coach riding his ass and keeping him humble every single day. Nobody gets to be the GOAT because they were pampered and praised. That’s a Reality Star. A true GOAT works hard, values criticism above praise, and keeps pushing – even when (especially when) no one is watching or clapping. Over time, you just get better – you can’t help it. Your own tenacity demands it. That’s how you win 7 Super Bowls, folks. And criticism? Eat that shit for breakfast. Use it as jet fighter fuel.
I recently wrote a song called Work Harder (Win) under one of my musician alter egos, Ghost Skizz. That song came to life in the most organic way – trading life-isms with my son, I hit him with my mantra: Work harder, work harder – win, win win!
He watched me do my little dance and said, straight-faced – “That’s such a boomerism, mom.”
LOL! Da fuq? A boomerism? Working hard and winning is now a generational relic? I laughed at that for a good while. In some ways, he’s not wrong – and in other ways, that’s just how we do.
Prince – another certified GOAT – once said that he loved constructive criticism because it made him better. Over time he got sharp at telling the difference between true fans who wanted to see him grow as an artist and haters who just wanted to feel superior. Fun Fact: before Prince was a global icon, he was a computer programmer. A full-on nerd. Strategically coded for the win from the jump.
Something I’ve noticed lately – people are increasingly verklempt about debate. Nobody wants to argue anymore. Peace is the word. And yet, there’s still that corner of society that lives for a good yard fight, a bitch slap heard around the world, this dude vs that bro. Both things are true at once. Because to be human is to fight, to learn, and to live to fight another day – armed with everything you picked up along the way.
Criticism helps us grow. And honestly? We fight ourselves harder than we’ll ever fight anyone else. Growth is pain, but it’s also healing – it forces you to come face to face with who you actually are. So the real question is: what’s the level of fight you got within you?
