Just say, “Thank you”

Is it just ME, or do you, too, know people – especially women, who don’t know how to take a compliment?   Are you one?

I love a day that teaches a lesson by 10am; that’s a great start to any day!  I learned something today that I want to share; it is so simple, yet so significant at the same time.  It’s just about giving and receiving compliments.

First of all, don’t give them gratuitously; mean them.

Don’t use them as bait to receive a compliment back; that’s selfish.

Appreciate that when a compliment is given sincerely, the giver is in a good place.  Her opinion matters to her and she wants it to matter to you, too.  Shirking off a compliment suggests that her opinion is not valued by you.  Her moment is gone and you have assumed control; you have ruined her moment.

The best response to a compliment is a simple – and sincere – “thank you”.  Don’t explain it away…here’s what I mean…let’s say someone tells you that you look nice.  Responding by cluttering your answer with such things as, “oh, this old thing”, “I think I look awful today”, and the like, diminishes her worth to you and possibly her worth to herself.  No one has that right!  Just say, “thank you”.

It is not necessary to compliment back just to compliment back.  If you truly wish to “exchange” a compliment do so, with a genuine softness and be specific.  Don’t just say, “You look nice, too”.

In receiving a compliment, I am prone to offer back information, such as, “Oh, Thanks, I got it at Macy’s”, thinking I was offering information that may be of benefit or value.  I am an information sharer and I thought that to be a generous thing to do.  I now see it a bit differently.  I will hold those details until – and if – asked for them.

It seems the best response is a plain and simple, “thank you”.  Expressed correctly and sincerely, those two simple words can have a huge impact on the person receiving your appreciation; your approval of her standards.

So, IS it just me,  or are you eager to give your next compliment and to receive one, as well.

Thank you