TRAPPSTR

$50 Bee stings

Posted on 16. Mar, 2010 by Brett in Leadership

I’ve been stung a few times recently. Not literally. But stung by constructive criticism. And I don’t call it constructive “feedback.” Feedback soothes; criticism stings. Feedback nibbles; criticism bites. It’s painful. It reaches down into my comfort zone with a jumbo-sized blender and cranks that sucker up to frappe.

And I hate it. With everything in me. I crave compliments and affirmation. I run towards attaboys and people who like me and make me feel valuable. A fallen world makes me needy. Nothing makes my soul squirm like when someone calls me out and puts me in my place.

Constructive criticism hurts.

Like a bee sting.

What if, everytime you got stung by a bee, the bee gods deposited $50 into your checking account? Might that change your mind on bee stings? Probably. Would it remove the sting? Would the sting hurt any less? No. But the value would outweight the pain. And you might not mind so much. In fact, you might seek out more bees.

That’s what constructive criticism is like. Hurts like crazy; helps like crazy.

I’m convinced the very thing holding most people back is that they’ve built a fortress of insecurity around them, insulating themselves from constructive criticizers. Insulating themselves from $50 bee stings. They could be filthy rich, but years of running from bees has left them dirt poor. I’m learning that the “rich” among us–leaders, world changers, remarkable creatives–are those that run towards the hive. You’ll get stung, but that’s where all the honey is.

(See also Prov 27:6)