There are few creators whose legacy (遗产) is as far-reaching as Walt Disney. Disney transformed a simple cartoon mouse into a huge empire. Through the years, Disney also had his share of critics. But his view of criticism (批评) may be different than what you’d imagine.

Way back in 1975, the book The Story of Walt Disney shared one of my favorite quotes from the famous entertainer. “You may not realize it when it happens, but may be the best thing in the world for you.” There is a lot to be learned from that sentence. As you go through life, there will be no shortage of persons telling you what you need to improve. You could simply ignore them or you could do what Disney did: use that negative feedback to make you better.

Negative feedback is like a freshly mined (开采的) diamond. On the surface, you’ve got what would appear to most persons to be a dull, ugly rock. But to a trained eye, that ugly rock is extremely valuable. All it needs is a little cut and polish (抛光). Criticism is like an unpolished diamond: it is ugly. Here you are, trying your best, and someone comes along to tell you it’s not good enough. But much like a processional diamond cutter can take that unpolished rock and turn it into something beautiful, you can learn to get the benefits of criticism.

Think about it: smart as you are, there’s always room for improvement. Additionally, all of us have blind spots. Of course, some criticism will be completely wrong. But even in these cases, it’s valuable because it helps you to see your actions through another perspective (角度), one you may not have considered.

Learning to benefit from such criticism takes emotional intelligence-the ability to make emotions work for you, instead of against you. The key is to change the way you process criticism and learn to turn negative feedback into something constructive. It never feels good to hear that you are wrong. When you do, take a page out of Walt’s book and remember: it is the ones who tell you the truth-even when it hurts-who will make you better.

Sitting around doing nothing used to seem like one of the safest activities possible. Then a few years ago scientists discovered that sitting all clay causes harmful changes that increase your chances of meeting an early end. Even regular workouts didn't fix the ill effects of having your bottom in a chair all workday. Suddenly, sitting became public health enemy number one. However, a new research finds that tiny bursts of intense activity are enough to protect your body from the worst effects of your couch-bound lifestyle.

In the research, the scientists closely observed eight young, healthy volunteers as they sat around. On the first day of the experiment they simply lounged for six hours. On the second day they got up every hour and engaged in five rounds of four seconds of intense workouts on a specialized bike.

"Twenty seconds total exercise an hour sounds like nothing, but the data showed it made a big difference to the subjects' bodies. In short, they didn't exhibit the usual ill effects of having sat all day. This study is small, but it's still both hopeful and relevant. The results suggest that breaking up sitting with frequent exercise can undo some of the effects of being inactive," explains Gretchen Reynolds.

"While the study used a special type of bike developed by sports scientists, the researchers feel similar results are obtainable with home exercise equipment. However, you may have to work for a few more seconds to reach the same level of intensity. You should try to get your heart pumping to its maximum as quickly as possible to ensure the effect. When you find yourself sitting for most of the day, try to rise frequently and move as often during the day as possible and for as many seconds as you can manage," Reynolds concludes.