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Why Feedback?
When should we ask for feedback? When shouldn’t we ask for feedback?
Why do we ask for feedback, towards what end?
VIDEO
AUDIO
Are you a newbie?
First of all, my psychological thought:
When we ask for feedback, we are signaling that we lack self-confidence in ourselves.
When we ask for feedback, we acknowledge that the other person is smarter than us, or we perceive them as more knowledgeable or powerful than us.
Do we not want to take responsibility for ourselves and actions?
Another thought:
When we ask others for feedback, we want someone to blame (if we end up screwing up or failing).
Perhaps this is why companies hire consultants:
If a company institutes a new policy, and the policy is bad, they are able to transfer liability to the consultant (easy to blame the consultant).
Kind of like scapegoating.
How much faith do you have in yourself?
Consider a life in which you never asked for feedback. Can you still live a great life?
Yes! Also — one of the benefits of NOT asking for help or feedback:
More interesting and unique self-experimentation (innovation).
For example, I mostly ignored everything on the internet about powerlifting. I just do heavy singles and attempt new PR’s (usually once a week). It is against all conventional wisdom in powerlifting, but it seems to have been working for me.
Another thing — intermittent fasting during the day, and not breaking my fast until later the day (after working out). I also have done all my powerlifting in a fasted state for almost the last 5 years, which is also seen as a “no-no” (we are indoctrinated with the notion that you must eat something BEFORE working out, but this is not true).
So perhaps the benefit of NOT asking others for feedback is that you are more likely to discover NEW TRUTHS, which are contrary to conventional wisdom.
When is it useful to ask for feedback?
If you need new ideas, and a novel perspective.
For example in photography, I wanted to know how to improve! I felt like I hit a wall in terms of self-improvement, and in order to take it to the NEXT LEVEL, I wanted to elicit the feedback from others. Much of this inspiration is what fueled arsbeta.com — the desire to ‘crowd-source’ the ‘wisdom of the crowds’ to empower photographers from all around the planet. Essentially, creating a platform which I wish I had access to when I started photography.
Conclusion
- You don’t need to ask for feedback in order to improve.
- Don’t ask for feedback if you just are looking for someone to blame if you fail.
- Ask for “tips” (suggestions) from others, but ultimately you decide whether to obey their feedback/ideas or not. You choose.
- If you feel like you’re stuck in your growth, hit a plateau, and need an outside perspective, ask for feedback, suggestions, and help!
GROW ON!
ERIC