Summary

When receiving a compliment, don’t deflect the gift someone gives you of a compliment. Smile, look them in the eye, and respond with a sincere, “Thank you.” When you give a compliment, stop, smile, look them in the eyes, and tell them specifically what they did to deserve praise. If they deflect your words, try again to let them feel your appreciation.

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you deflect compliments?
  2. Are you specific and genuine in giving compliments?
  3. Will you practice giving and receiving compliments generously and sincerely?

Postscript: Quotations on Compliments

“There are two things people want more than sex and money—recognition and praise.”Mary Kay Ash, founder Mary Kay Cosmetics

“The best advice is often the compliments received, and they are often about an associate who did something exceptional. I tell my teams that it’s the random acts of kindness, the unexpected, that people remember most.”Barry Sternlicht, CEO, Starwood Capital Group

“I will be generous with my love today. I will sprinkle compliments and uplifting words everywhere I go. I will do this knowing that my words are like seeds and when they fall on fertile soil, a reflection of those seeds will grow into something greater.”Steve Maraboli, author

“You have to love yourself or you’ll never be able to accept compliments from anyone.”Dean Wareham, musician

“It is a great mistake for men to give up paying compliments, for when they give up saying what is charming, they give up thinking what is charming.”Oscar Wilde

“After years of self-deprecating behavior, I’ve never learned how to properly take a compliment. A part of me wants to argue with him, to tell him there’s nothing special about me.”Brynna Gabrielson, author

    By Bob Vanourek and Gregg Vanourek