Accept a Compliment

dove-promise-accept-a-complimentOK, I admit it… I have a guilty pleasure called Dove Promises.  They are little bite-sized morsels of chocolate and they are delicious.  Some are plain milk or dark chocolate… some are filled with caramel… and, at just 40 calories a square, it’s alright to indulge once in a while on a piece or two!  But, I digress….) Yes, they are super-tasty and sate my sweet tooth, but another reason they are my favorites is, like a fortune cookie, each Promise is wrapped inside a foil wrapper containing a thought-provoking message.  I think they are intended to be promises you make to yourself.

A few examples.  One time, my Promise suggested I “Teach [my] grandma to take a selfie” (she’s on it!); another told me to “Stay up until the sun rises.”  There are, of course, many, many others.

Last week, my Promise encouraged a basic action that many of us are really not good at.  It said, “Accept a compliment.”

Here’s the deal:  When someone says, “I like your hair,” as if by auto-response, the common reply is often, “oh, no, my hair is awful.”  If a colleague says, “great job on the presentation,” we are conditioned to down play our performance with a, “aw, I’m not so sure it went well.”  You get the idea.  And, hey, I’m as guilty of this as the next person.  Oh, and women, I’m especially talking to you (although, men are not immune from this habit!).

It turns out, the best way to accept a compliment is to simply say, “Thank you!”  You might add a smile.  If you’re genuinely curious about what it is that they like about your hair, your presentation, your whatever, you can even go on and reply with a, “Thank you!  What about my [hair/presentation/approach/process/etc.] was especially impressive to you?”  And, if you’re really bold, you could even say, “Thank you!  I really appreciate that.  In fact, it would be helpful to know what you liked and what areas could use improvement in the future.  I’d love your input.”

So, indeed, Accept a Compliment!  Embrace the little jolt of warmth and fuzziness it brings – you deserve it!  Then, offer a compliment.  You can give someone else the same gift of kindness you were shown by another.  Promise me you’ll try.

How do you handle compliments?  Please share your thoughts and experiences with the CLC Community so we can all benefit from your wisdom by leaving a comment at CoffeeLunchCoffee.com.  And, if you also love Dove Promises (or fortune cookies, for that matter), tell me what your favorite message has been so far!

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