title: The two-review technique
url: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/10/the-two-review-technique.html
hash_url: dacfa0c987fe155935337bf217785fe8

<p>As you work on your project (your presentation, your plan, your speech, your recipe, your...) imagine that it's the sort of thing that could be reviewed on Amazon.</p>
<p>Now, write (actually write down) two different reviews:</p>
<p>First, a 5 star review, a review by someone who gets it, who is moved, who is eager to applaud your guts and vision.</p>
<p>And then, a 1 star review, an angry screed, not from the usual flyby troll, but from someone who actually experienced your work and hated it.</p>
<p>Okay, you've got two reviews, here's the question:</p>
<p>Are you working to make it more likely that the 5 star reviews are more intense, more numerous and more truthful than ever, or...</p>
<p>Are you working to minimize the number of 1 star reviews?</p>
<p>Very hard to obsess about both, since they tend to happen together.</p>
<p>The thing is, if you work to minimize criticism, you have surrendered the beauty and greatness of what you've set out to build.</p>
