"This talk was really, really not for me." -Anonymous feedback from the last talk I did.

Amidst a stack of really, really positive feedback from a talk I gave last week on #NoExcuses, this was the one that stood out the most. I'm genuinely grateful for all feedback. It's up to me to decide if it helps me or hurts me.

With this particular feedback, I feel like I totally understand. The topic is definitely not going to strike a chord with everyone in attendance at a tech conference. It's always risky doing talks about life stuff at conferences that are not really about life stuff. I know this going in. Fortunately, more times than not, including this time, the comments are overwhelmingly positive and confirm that I've hit on a topic that isn't talked about enough at trade-skills conferences.  If that were not the case, I'd go back to more tactical/skills based talks. Right now, I'm pushing and exploring my own topic boundaries. 

While not-so-positive feedback is a reality of this line of work (and most lines of work where you put things you create out into the world), feedback is there to help you grow.  

Today's tip: Honest feedback may sting a little, but it will make you better if you allow it to.