sandy

 I got to thinking when I read Nancy’s great blog this morning….  her blogs are often thought provoking.   I hope she doesn’t mind if I repeat part of my comment here.

It’s easy to ask for advice, not so easy to take it.  Just like a compliment…we all ask constantly for compliments (maybe not verbally, but in many other ways) and when we get them?  Not easy to just say ‘thank you’ after a lifetime of putting ourselves down.  Only when we start to grow in confidence can we accept the opinions of others. When we have no self-confidence other peoples opinions often make us react defensively.  I’ve written about this before…how my husband said it hurt his feelings when he tried to compliment me and I always gave a self-deprecating response.  (you look nice today…. no I don’t, these pants make my belly look huge, etc.)  He said it was like giving a gift and having it thrown back at you.  I had never thought of it that way, and if I had I would have thought “he must think I need to have someone think I look nice, because I don’t really….”    I don’t feel that way any more.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been careful just say ‘thank you’ .  That’s all, not thanks, but…… that was the old me responding.    After doing it long enough you begin to feel good when you get a compliment.  If you like this blog, great.  If you don’t that’s ok too.  I’m a big girl now and not everyone has to like me to make me feel confident.  I can do it all by myself.