Hi, my name is Robert.
I “hit a wall” a few years ago. Work looked fine, but inside I felt flat and tired. I am an artist, so I hid in my creativity, hoping the depression would go away. It didn’t. Criticism of my work hurt my pride, and I didn’t know how to take it in a healthy way.
I began to shut myself off from the outside world, rarely leaving the house and always afraid of what people would say about my work and about me as an artist.
Once, I posted one of my paintings online and received negative feedback from someone. But it wasn’t even a review about my work, it was about me, saying that I didn’t know what I was doing and that I needed to learn before I started painting.
This really triggered me, and I said to myself: “Enough, let’s deal with the negative feedback or you’ll always suffer. You need to learn to work not only with positive feedback, but also with negative feedback.
I started looking for information on the internet because it was important for me to understand what positive and negative feedback is. And I found this website.
What is Johari Window?
The website I mentioned earlier is about the Johari Window tool. The idea is simple: you choose words that describe you, and then other people choose the words they think describe you.
The overlap is the “open area,” and the gaps are blind or hidden areas – in other words, your growth zone. This small “feedback map” became my mirror. What the Johari is in practice is a shared picture of how people see me.
How the Johari Window Test Works
- Choose a format: classic johari window model, positive-only, creative, or a work version.
- Select traits that fit you now.
- Share your link with friends, teammates, or a partner.
- They pick traits; your results update as responses arrive.
- Compare patterns – your living johari window explanation.
The Turning Point in My Life
I thought that praise for my paintings would solve all problems. When there was none – I closed myself off. When it was there – I still doubted. The Johari Window test changed my thinking: I saw where my self-esteem was too low and where others saw more in me than I saw in myself.
It truly changed how I see both myself and my work. I stopped being alone, I stopped feeling sad, and I now want to know more about what people think about me and my art.
Some might call it a battle between positive and negative feedback, but it’s not. Any feedback makes me better and stronger. Now I know that for sure.
From Negative and Positive Feedback to Growth
I’ll give you an example right away. A friend marked me as “calm in stressful situations.” I would have never said that about myself. When it happened again, I turned the feedback into a very useful tool. I stopped chasing only praise and started using specific comments to adjust my work and my attitude toward life.
How to use the Johari Window method in life
- Personal: a quick Johari Window test will help you get opinions from close ones, boost your self-esteem, and give you support.
- With a partner: it will be a pleasant, kind, and structured talk to support the relationship.
- Teamwork: matching roles with real strengths, reducing hidden friction and conflicts in the team.
- Students: an easy way to think about yourself during a time when “life isn’t going well.”
- Creative people: getting feedback without endlessly scrolling through toxic comments.
Why this tool helped me deal with criticism and understand it
- It makes feedback specific. Words on the screen are better than vague guesses.
- It balances voices. Ten short notes outvote one loud opinion.
- It drives action. A clear understanding of your qualities helps you see which way you need to change as a person.
A Quick Look at Signals
“Hidden” wins: You think you are “organized,” but few mark it – why? Maybe you hide the work.
Understanding Feedback Types
Most of us mix up terms. We argue about negative vs positive feedback and loop in circles. I learned to analyze the right way: what helps me create better work tomorrow?
- Clear “do more of this” is positive feedback.
- Clear “try less of that” is negative feedback.
Start your johari window test and collect real signals in days, not months. It’s a real way to understand yourself and learn what other people think about you.
A Johari Window Exercise You Can Try Today
- Write three traits you believe define you.
- Invite five people to mark ten traits for you.
- Circle the matches and two unexpected points that didn’t match.
- Think about how you can improve these qualities during the week.
- Repeat monthly – treat it like a small study.
What I changed after the first feedback
I introduced a simple rule for meetings with clients, partners, and close ones: first listen, then sum up, and only then offer ideas. This habit appeared thanks to the repeated signal “good listener.”
Clients noticed my involvement in the process because I started paying more attention to their opinions.
Sales rates went up. Feedback stopped being something negative for me and became a driver for growth.
I have never worked so effectively with customers before. The understanding between us has grown and I have started selling more paintings. I have become interested in painting them; it feels like I have gained a new incentive to live and work.
FAQ
Q: Is this a therapy tool or a party game?
A: It can be both. Think of the Johari model as simple testing — useful in working with people and in family talks.
Q: Where to start if I’m worried and afraid to take the first step?
A: Begin with the positive format of testing. A soft start still teaches a lot about how people see you.
Q: What can you tell us about haptic feedback?
A: This topic explores the concept of haptic feedback, describing its definition and relevance, particularly in relation to feedback mechanisms. There are topics such as feedback loops, tactile information, vibrations. But my article is not about that at all.
Q: I want a simple intro – what is johari window in plain words?
A: It’s a chance to learn what others think about you and use it as a point for growth and a boost to your self-esteem..
Q: Have I read about negative feedback loops?
A: Yes, but it’s quite different and seemed unnecessary to me. This topic discusses negative feedback loops, including their mechanisms, characteristics, and examples of how they operate to maintain stability within a system.
We can speak very long about customer interactions, failing equipment, feedback loop examples, internal culture, negative feedback mechanism, negative outcomes, online services and service operations
Q: Can you give me a johari window explanation I can tell a friend?
A: Tell him: “This is an example of how I see myself and how others see me; we compare a person’s qualities and learn.”
Q: Can you do an overview of feedback loops?
A: I think in the next article I will talk about it. Then we will look at the general concept of feedback loops, outlining their significance and how they function in various systems about feedback loop, growth, increased efficiency, system inputs, system outputs
Are you ready to improve your life and make it happier?
I used to think that feedback only makes a person feel bad. But I was wrong. Feedback and its analysis are what can make your life better, richer, fuller, and more confident.
Step by step, the Johari Window gave me all of this. Believe me, you will thank feedback, because it is the engine of your progress! Take the next step here.
This was Rob, wishing you good luck!