Useless criticism should be ignored. But often it’s not. Think about this and see if it helps…
People who are quick to criticize usually do so more out of mental imbalance than useful altruism. I’ve learned to quickly identify and then completely ignore such people.
And one way that helps me is to always…
Remember this quote by Teddy Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
who actually strives to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Bottom Line:
Too much criticism can be debilitating for solo and small-firm lawyers. It’s one of the things I’d list on a SWOT analysis if you ever do that (which I highly recommend),
Don’t pay attention to people who haven’t gotten enough experience doing the thing that they’re now criticizing, questioning, or bloviating about.
P.S. If you want my Ultimate Guide to Technology for Lawyers click here.
