Compliment- Take it.

Friend: Hey! I loved this blog post.
Me: Oh! how’s the weather?

Friend: Looking lovely today!
Me: The color of your dress is awesome.

Family: Congrats on the good work!
Me: So, when is our next vacation?

Friend: The hair cut looks amazing.
Me: It is just a good hair day.

Friend: Oh! the tea tastes so good.
Me: I made such bad tea in the morning.

How good are you accepting a compliment? I am referring to the genuine compliments that you get from your loved ones.

I confess, I am not good at it. I either change the topic or talk about something that went wrong.

I know a lot of people who fall in this category. Even after a genuine, straight from the heart compliment, they just turn a deaf ear to it. And I don’t like it when someone does that to my compliment.

I became aware of this quite recently. I was getting very fidgety and conscious when I heard a compliment. How awkward and strange, I thought!

When I looked up about this uneasiness on the internet, I came across something called the “Impostor Syndrome”. It is not a mental disorder of any sort. ( That is a relief! ) But people who are subject to this condition tend to :
Undermine one’s own achievements.
Discount praise.
Impostor experience can present itself through thoughts such as:
“I feel like a fake”
“I just got lucky”

These conditions and thoughts did seem familiar.

I have also noticed that I find it easier to receive compliments in the virtual world. A comment or compliment on the social media is easier to respond to. But one on the face, I would rather stay away from it.

So, my next search was to find out how I could get over this condition and become better at accepting and owning up when someone gives a compliment.
Like always, becoming aware of this behavior is the first step.
Now, the moment I hear a compliment, I know what I should not say.
I also don’t look away or move away from the place.
I listen to the entire compliment, and say a big Thank You.
I sometimes add an extra ” That was kind of you.”
And that is it. I just tell myself ” I have earned it.”

So if you intend to say “Well Written, I could connect to it. “, my response is  “Thank You.”