Don't take it personally

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I'm a fan of Seth Godin. And, I always read Godin's daily email, some of which are short, sweet and directly to the point and others that are longer thought pieces.

Today, Godin wrote about the difference of "seriously versus personally.

We all take our work seriously. It matters to us and the impacts, both positive and negative, are real.

I often see co-workers and colleagues take criticism, and rejection, far too personally versus taking it seriously. As Godin writes, "When someone rejects an idea, or if a project doesn't succeed, we've learned a valuable lesson about strategy and about tactics, but it's not a reflection on our worth as a human."

Are there bad clients and co-workers out there who might delight a bit too much in saying "no?" Of course. The bigger reality, though, is that being told 'no' is far-and-away the usual right answer that one should take, consider and use to grow.

The traditional saying is "Don't take it personally." I'd suggest that you're better served by hearing "Don't take it personally but do take it seriously."