Two weeks ago, I was playing pick-up basketball with my normal group. My team lost, so we sat on the sidelines, waiting for our next run.
While I hate losing (I hate it!), it is a good time to catch up with some of the guys.
One guy talked about his kitchen renovation and then said, “And since my birthday is coming up, I had my annual physical last week. The doctor mentioned that I was 10 pounds heavier than the year before. I knew I had gained some weight because I hate throwing away the food my kid doesn’t eat, so I finish it.
But then I looked online at MyChart, and the written report used the word obese five times.”
If you saw him on the street, you would never classify him as obese, but, like me, he probably meets the medical definition of the term.
We played again last night, and he missed a three-pointer. I ran by him and said, “You would have made that shot if you weren’t obese.” He smiled. We laughed like two middle-aged hoopers dealing with the realities of our declining athleticism.
Later, he said, “You know I have eaten more salads in the last two weeks than I had in the last year. I am running to the mailbox. I’m already losing some weight.”
And here’s the point–no one ever likes hearing bad things. No one likes the feedback that you are in worse shape than you realize.
But we need that feedback to grow, improve, and become the best possible versions of ourselves.
Without that feedback, we will drift into mediocrity and decline.
My basketball friend didn’t like the feedback, but he’s getting better because of it.
So, the next time someone gives you negative feedback, pause and ask, “How can I use this information to improve?”