thick skin requires a lot of grace!

lately, i have felt like i needed one of these in my office:

it seems like either a) i can do nothing right, or b) nobody ever has anything to say about the things i do right; but they are very eager to complain and criticize the things i do wrong.

now, if you read my last post, you know that i probably care about this more than i should.  i choose to be a part of the world of education partly because i love attempting to improve the lives of children and their families, which i believe has a ripple effect in making the world a better place.  NOT because i want to make life more difficult for anyone (contrary to popular opinion).  and as much as i do know that constructive feedback can help in the areas of self-improvement, i'm sure that i'm not alone in the fact that i don't really enjoy hearing complaint after complaint after complaint.  whether or not i should, i do take it personally.  my work is personal to me.  i put everything i have into it, and get frustrated when others disagree with my efforts or assume that no thought went into them.

i remember when i was taking graduate classes that my professors frequently said, "you can't please everybody, and if you try, you will constantly feel like a failure."  this advice has come back to me perhaps when i need it most.  as much as i would love for everyone to be happy all the time, it just isn't realistic.  that isn't my job, either.  my job is to do the best i can to advance the mission of my school, and to make sure that it is alive and well.  everything we do, every decision we make, we ask ourselves, "is this in line with our mission?"  although we occasionally mess up, and frequently make decisions that people don't agree with, i do believe we are doing the best we can do.  when i was a kid, i had sign up in my room that looked like this:

i just came across another quote that struck me in perhaps a more adult, slightly less cliche way:

"to avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."

-elbert hubbard

so here i go, off to start the new year fresh - committed to doing something, saying something, and being something - even if it means taking criticism along the way.  God, please give me the gift of thick skin so that i can handle the criticism that will inevitably come in a graceful way.