November 28th, 2021
If someone is slipping up, kindly correct them and point out what they missed. But if you can’t, blame yourself—or no one.
The thought of pointing out the flaws of someone else feels sanctimonious and un-Minnesotan. Having thought on this for some time, I do believe it is important to give constructive criticism to a friend or family member you find struggling.
What is important to keep in mind is that you should not provide advice if you also struggle with the same faults. Which leads me to believe the best way to help someone is to ask them to help you as well. If your friend is having an issue with always being late, ask them to help you avoid being late. If you have a family member who struggles with budgeting their money, ask them to help you budget your money.
If we want to improve ourselves, we need to be open to constructive criticism. Truly wanting others to improve, we need to be willing to provide loving and sensitive criticism. If we have any struggles with that, then we need to learn to not be sensitive about the behavior in the first place.