Compliment

It was a busy weekend with guests in the house, a birthday party to attend and an auspicious thread ceremony in my neighbourhood. I was constantly juggling between these events, kids and work. To entertain the extended families who were with us, my mother in law asked the kids of the house to perform something. Dance or recite something or play an instrument of their choice .After a couple of dances the girls of the house were filled with compliments which they accepted generously. With a broad smile on their face and the heads held high they jumped for a quick high five to celebrate their joy. Sparsh demonstrated his guitar skills and shared videos of his tennis sessions with his coach. Even the youngest member of our house (2.5yrs) embraced all the attention she got.

The evening got better with a round of snacks later followed by dinner and most awaited desserts. Before wrapping up the night, the guests floored us with compliments to our cooking style and its execution. To which we (the ladies of the house) just smiled, without saying a word.

Congratulations! You’ve earned somebody’s respect and admiration. What do you say to that? If you’re flustered by praise, it’s time to learn how to take a compliment at face value and appreciate the best of it. After all, you’re worth it, right? Then why we don’t accept compliments graciously? Why do we chide away? Why don’t we express gratitude and say something in return? Are we not worth it? Why do we underestimate our own potential? Why do we doubt ourselves?

 
Suggesting that it was nothing or that someone else could have done it better, thinking that the person paying you a compliment must be after something from you, being embarrassed and blushing or giving a compliment in return, being sarcastic or insisting that the he or she doesn’t mean it. Each of these ways of deflecting a compliment results in putting down both yourself and the giver of the compliment. 

 
An assertive person knows their self-worth and appreciates acknowledgement, but neither seeks it out nor rebuffs it when received. In accepting a compliment, you are telling the other person that you trust their judgment, their wisdom and their sense of self. Alike kindness , accepting a compliment blesses both the giver and the receiver .Acknowledging it with a simple “thank you” or adding a few more words like “thank you , I really appreciate this” makes sure that your efforts don’t go unnoticed thereby boosting your morale.
 

Today when we don’t chide away from boosting our posts, then why do we chide away from compliments? This reminds me of a friend who always complimented me on my designing skills and I seldom took it graciously. Thank you kids for teaching me this lesson and yes from now on, I am open to compliments, are you?

Happiness and sunshine 🙂  

 

 

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