“A compliment is verbal sunshine.”

– Robert Orben, American magician and comedy writer

I had a boss once tell me on the first day of my new job, “I don’t give compliments often and I don’t like receiving them either!” She was right and I didn’t stay working there long.

What do you do when someone compliments you? Do you accept it, say thank you and move on? Do you shrug it off or even reject it outright? Perhaps you believe most compliments are hollow flattery and secretly wonder, “What does this person want from me?”

I was in a workshop once where an exercise involved participants looking into a mirror and writing down a sincere compliment they could give themselves. One woman became so upset, she ran out of...

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