Surprised by Compliments?

Anybody else have trouble with this? I do. I find it very easy to offer compliments, but when someone turns the tables on me, I freeze. I am confused, awkward, and baffled…I usually self-deprecate, too, although I have been aware of this tendency for some time and am actively working on just saying “thank you” and then scampering off. How in the world, growing up as I did in a loving home, surrounded by warm and affectionate people, did I grow up to be embarrassed when someone is loving toward me? Why do I struggle to see myself in a flattering light? Why is it necessary to use self-talk to remind myself that I am worthy of such things? Why am I suspicious or dubious when someone gives me a kind word? I don’t have answers to those questions, and maybe I never will. Today I will ask my students to practice giving compliments to each other. Not artificial ones, and probably not to each others’ faces (at least initially), but I think that maybe I just need more practice.

By the way…I love what you’ve done with your hair.

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On Being Useful