When I was about 12, I had an enemy  , a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings  . Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn't a good student; I talked too much;  I was too proud  , and so on. I tried to hear all these as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly. Then he asked, "Are the thing she said true or not? Janet, didn't you ever think about what you are really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said." I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change (like being very thin), but a good number I could --- and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a very clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Daddy. He wouldn't like to take it. "That is just for you," he said, "You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you will find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do the right thing." Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important periods. In my life, I have never had a better piece of advice. What did the father do after he had heard his daughter's complaint?
He told her not to pay any attention to what her "enemy" had said. He criticized  her and told her to overcome   her shortcomings. He told her to write down all that her "enemy" had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. He wouldn't like to take the list and have a look at it.