(Written by someone who’s not naturally good at accepting compliments.)

Excepting compliments is important because 1) it’s going to either encourage or discourage certain behavior 2) it speaks to who you are as an individual.

First, let’s observe how not to accept a compliment.

Making the person who gave the compliment feel bad for complimenting you. This is done in a variety of ways but the most commonly by contradicting them, e.g. “I’m not really that cool,” etc.

The key to accepting a compliment is to think about how you’d want someone to respond if you complimented them. I appreciate when:

1. People thank me for my compliment
2. Smile and show they are genuinely happy
3. Realize that I wish well for them

Thanking someone for their compliment is a far better alternative than discrediting them.