I Can't Hear It Enough

People have been complimenting me lately.



A LOT.



Which is nice. It’s hard, but nice. I’ve had to teach myself to say, “Thank You” instead of listing how much further I have to go.



People have also been saying things like, “You’re probably sick of me saying this…” or “I know I keep telling you this…” right before the compliment. And you know what, that’s ok. Even though it sounds conceited I still want to hear it.



I NEED to hear it.



You see, despite my positivity, ear-to-ear smile and go-get-‘em attitude I’m still learning to TRULY like myself and treat myself as a friend. It’s getting better each day, but sometimes I can be a bully….to me.



So, every time someone gives me a compliment I put it in a file. I have a file cabinet in the corner of my heart where I keep these and when I’m feeling sad, defeated or discouraged I open the cabinet drawer and pull a compliment or kind word out. I think about it, I remember when it was said and who said it, I believe it. Because the people I love, the people who are in my life who take the time to notice and recognize my hard work wouldn’t lie.



I remember how good it felt to hear it, the pride in their faces. How, for some, that pride replaced worry or pity. How happy they are to see me, well, happy. I feel the pride, faith, joy they felt when they said it (I think it feels as good to give a compliment as it does to receive one) . I also like the surprise. That look when someone hasn’t seen me for a long time and didn’t know or maybe knew, but didn’t really “get” the changes I’ve made. That surprise is good too.



I am not afraid to hear, “You’ve lost weight!” because I have. Or “You look great!” because I do.



I challenge you with this, even though it’s hard.



ACCEPT COMPLIMENTS



Very rarely do they come from a mean place. If you are making changes, if you are surprising people, if you are doing something to be proud of accept the kind words people have for you. Even though you may not want to go around tooting your own horn, (Although if you want to, by all means!!!) keep what people say and put it in your heart.



You never know when you may need it.