SELF- CRITISISM

There are two ways of being self-critical. The first one is deconstructive and weakening, the second one constructive and to the effect of fortifying your self-acceptance. The first one has its roots in the Ego and arises from a lack of love and compassion towards yourself. Therefore it causes you to doubt in yourself/your abilities/other people/the reason for living etc. It serves to undermine your trust in life as a whole, filling you with despair and hopelessness, while at the same time actually strengthening your Ego's initial inferiority complex.
Whereas the second way of being critical of yourself is motivated by the Higher Self. It is loving and compassionate despite its aim to lay bare to the light of your awareness your own possible short-comings and weaknesses. It is an attempt of rising above your Lower Self in order to widen your self-knowledge and to gain more objectivity. It requires  a certain amount of love and acceptance of yourself to start with. However the honest seeker is rewarded by an increase in those two qualities through the deepened understanding of the Self and life.