Criticism can expose weaknesses, but it can also damage confidence when a person allows other people’s opinions to define what he is capable of becoming.
David Licauco experienced this during the early part of his acting career. Some viewers questioned his ability, and the criticism could have convinced him that he did not belong in the industry.
Instead, he used it as a reason to study his craft more seriously.
“When I was starting out, I got a lot of hate about my acting,” Licauco said. “I used that as fuel to work harder on my craft.”
His response offers a lesson for professionals and entrepreneurs who receive difficult feedback. Criticism does not automatically deserve agreement, but dismissing every negative reaction can prevent improvement. The more useful approach is to determine whether the criticism contains information that can help produce a better result.
For Licauco, the answer was not to argue with every critic. It was to become a stronger actor.
Focusing on What He Can Control
Entertainment is highly competitive, but Licauco tries not to spend too much energy on outcomes that remain outside his control.
“I just try to control what I can control,” he said.
An actor cannot decide how audiences will react, which performer a producer will choose or whether a project will become successful. He can only control how well he prepares, how seriously he approaches the work and how much effort he puts into improving.
“If I have a goal, I’ll work on myself and try to be qualified for it,” Licauco said.
A professional may want a promotion, but the stronger question is whether he has developed the skills required for the position. An entrepreneur may want a major client, but the business must first prove that it can deliver the quality, scale and reliability that the account requires.
Licauco applies the same principle to acting. Rather than assume that ambition alone should produce a role, he works to become more qualified for the opportunity he wants.
Even then, the outcome is not guaranteed.
“But if it still doesn’t happen, then it’s okay,” he said. “At least I know I tried. Maybe there’s something better or something that fits me more.”
This mindset allows him to remain ambitious without treating every rejection as a personal failure. He can evaluate whether he prepared properly, learn from the experience and move forward without carrying the disappointment into every future decision.
Studying Actors to Improve His Craft
Licauco responded to criticism through deliberate observation.
“I watch and study movies,” he said.
Watching a film for entertainment differs from studying it as an actor. A viewer may focus on the story, while a performer pays attention to how an actor delivers a line, uses silence or expresses emotion without speaking.
Licauco studied performers whose work he respected.
“I would watch actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Padilla and John Lloyd Cruz, study how they act and ask myself, ‘Can I do this?’” he said. “Then I’d get to work.”
His method resembles benchmarking in business. A company may study leading organizations to understand why their products, customer service or operations perform well.
The goal is not to copy the result exactly. Each actor has a different personality, range and style, just as each company has different resources and customers.
The value comes from identifying principles that can be adapted. Licauco could study how another actor builds tension, makes dialogue sound natural or responds to a scene partner, then use those observations to explore his own performance.
This turns criticism into a practical development plan. Instead of remaining focused on the statement that he was not good enough, he asked what better acting looked like and what work would move him closer to it.
Starting Small While Dreaming Big
One of the most important lessons Licauco has learned is that ambition should be supported by continuous action.
“Start small, dream big and never stop moving forward,” he said.
Large goals can inspire effort, but they can also become overwhelming when the distance between the present and the desired outcome appears too wide.
Starting small creates momentum. An actor can improve one skill, prepare more carefully for one scene or learn from one project. A business can begin with one product, serve a small group of customers and refine its operations before expanding.
Small beginnings do not require small ambitions. They provide a practical way to reach them.
Licauco’s advice also recognizes that progress rarely follows a straight line. Some opportunities produce major advancement, while others offer only a lesson.
What matters is that each step contributes to greater capability.
The same principle applies to career development. A person does not need to wait for the ideal role before beginning to improve. The work can start with the assignment already available.
Why Kindness Is Also a Career Strategy
Licauco believes professional growth is not only about talent and hard work. It also depends on how a person treats others.
“Be nice and empathetic to everyone,” he said. “It’s always good to be kind.”
The advice may sound unrelated to career advancement, but entertainment relies heavily on relationships. A production brings together actors, directors, writers, camera crews, stylists and many other professionals.
Reputation spreads through these interactions.
“You never know who you’ll meet again, who you’ll work with or who might help you in the future,” Licauco said.
Kindness should not be practiced only because someone may become useful later. Genuine respect matters regardless of a person’s position.
Still, professional consequences often follow personal behavior. A talented individual who treats colleagues poorly may find that fewer people want to work with him again.
In business, the same principle affects customers, employees and suppliers. Competence may secure the first transaction, but trust and respect can determine whether the relationship continues.
A person’s network is not built only by collecting contacts. It develops through repeated experiences that give others confidence in his character and professionalism.
Licauco’s lesson is that people remember more than the quality of the final performance. They also remember how they were treated while the work was being done.
What He Learned From Kobe Bryant
One of Licauco’s greatest influences came from outside acting.
“One of my biggest influences is Kobe Bryant,” he said.
Bryant became widely associated with intense preparation and the determination to improve. Licauco, however, was influenced by more than the basketball player’s work ethic.
“I learned a lot from him, not just hard work, but also discipline, empathy and being present for yourself and for the people around you,” he said.
Hard work and discipline are often treated as the main requirements for success. Licauco’s answer adds empathy and presence, which help prevent ambition from becoming entirely self focused.
Discipline allows a person to continue working when motivation weakens. Empathy improves the ability to understand colleagues, audiences and customers. Presence ensures that the pursuit of future goals does not make someone ignore the people and responsibilities that exist today.
These qualities also support leadership.
A business leader may work harder than everyone else, but that effort will not create a healthy organization if he cannot understand the needs of employees or remain attentive during important conversations.
Licauco’s interpretation of Bryant’s influence reflects a broader view of excellence. High performance should not require the loss of humanity.
Making His Younger Self Proud
Licauco’s motivation comes partly from remembering who he was before his career developed.
“My 16 year old self motivates me,” he said.
That younger version of himself had already experienced personal criticism.
“That version of me went through criticism and even bullying at one point,” he said. “I just want to make him proud.”
The idea gives his career progress an emotional meaning that extends beyond fame or income. Each improvement becomes evidence that the difficulties of his younger years did not determine the rest of his life.
Many professionals are motivated by a similar desire to prove something to their past selves. They may remember a period when they felt overlooked, underestimated or uncertain about their future.
That motivation can produce powerful effort, but it should not become a permanent attempt to seek approval from people who caused the original pain.
The stronger objective is personal growth. Success becomes meaningful because the individual has become more capable and secure, not merely because critics were proven wrong.
Licauco’s goal is to make his younger self proud rather than remain trapped by the opinions that once hurt him.
Working for His Future Self
Licauco also thinks about the person he hopes to become.
“I also think about my 40 year old self,” he said.
This future perspective influences how seriously he approaches the opportunities available today.
“I want him to enjoy life with his future family,” Licauco said. “I want him to have the freedom to do what he wants because he worked hard for it.”
The statement connects career effort with long term freedom.
Success is not only about achieving more work. It can also provide the ability to choose how much to work, which projects to accept and how much time to devote to family.
This principle applies strongly to financial planning and entrepreneurship. The sacrifices made during productive years should eventually create greater options rather than permanent dependence on constant work.
Thinking about a future self can improve present decisions. A purchase, career move or investment can be evaluated according to whether it contributes to the life the person wants several years from now.
The future remains uncertain, but planning still matters. Licauco cannot know exactly what his life will look like at 40, yet he can build the skills, reputation and financial foundation that increase the possibility of freedom.
Turning Criticism Into Capability
The criticism Licauco received about his acting could have led him to withdraw or become defensive. Instead, he studied movies, observed respected performers and worked to become better qualified for the roles he wanted.
“When I was starting out, I got a lot of hate about my acting,” he said. “I used that as fuel to work harder on my craft.”
His response shows that negative feedback becomes valuable only when it leads to useful action.
Licauco focused on what he could control, accepted that not every opportunity would fit him and continued to improve without treating other people as enemies.
He also learned that career development depends on more than technical ability. Kindness builds relationships. Empathy strengthens collaboration. Discipline turns ambition into consistent work.
His motivation comes from both directions in time. He wants to make his 16 year old self proud, while giving his 40 year old self the freedom to enjoy life with a future family.
The critics may have raised the original question about whether he could act. Licauco chose not to answer through arguments.
He answered by getting back to work.
