This is my niece. One of three to be exact. If you told that she is very smart, adorable, and fun to be around, she would agree. In fact, she’d say “well I know that!”
Oh that youthful confidence and acceptance. Why is it that women still don’t respond that way? Why is it so hard to talk to women, more specifically? Why is it hard to give a woman a compliment?
Shouldn’t we feel good about that? Should we smile, say thank you, and take that compliment?
I work at a gym. The ladies locker room is a lot of chit chat. This week I complimented a lot of women about their appearance, strength, and motivation. They all responded with “oh no, not me.” Or something along the lines of “ oh but I have cellulite, etc.” You know how I responded?
Bluntly. … “If you aren’t going to accept my compliment, don’t expect to receive many more. It’s too hard to convince you that you are awesome! Besides, I’m always right.” 
So women, do yourself a favor. Say thank you and smile when someone gives you a compliment. 90% of the time that compliment is genuine. Appreciate that, please, and –> FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT!
Now, let’s get to other “FEEL GOOD FRIDAY” things.
Kind Bar definitely made me FEEL GOOD with this lovely shipment. Have you tried their new low sugar bars? Gah, I am in love the the dark chocolate chili almond.
Aloe Gloe– oh this is a new find. It’s an ON SALE find and I do love the health benefits of aloe vera juice. Makes me FEEL GOOD.
- helps with digestion and protein absorption
- healthy skin
- composed of substances that help reduce inflammation
- Lots of vitamins and minerals
My Strange But GOOD dish this week make me feel SUPER GOOD! Not only was it quick, tasty, and healthy, but it was cheap! ha, even better.
BBQ egg and veggie bowl with chipotle chips. Gluten free tortilla with melted aged cheddar on the side.
The recipe is made exactly how it sounds. Scrambled eggs in a skillet with chopped veggies, oil, and BBQ sauce. Pour into bowl on top of spicy chipotle chips. Add cheese if need be or salsa!
And last but not least, this work out. Ya well, it’s not going to make you feel good during, but it will after. Trust me! A tabata high!!
What is your FEEL GOOD this FRIDAY?
Do you say thank you to compliments?
I sure hope you do!
Cheers,
LC
something to think about- sl0wdown challenge author writes this about dreaming big
This is awesome! I actually had been called out on not knowing how to take a compliment. My ex boyfriend (when we were still dating) complimented me and of course, as per usual, I just made a face like he’s just being silly and he doesn’t have to pretend I am this when I know I’m not. Then he goes “Do you hate compliments? I’ll just stop complimenting you then.” And that’s when I said “No I do! I do!” I didn’t want him to stop. That would suck. Haha. So ever since, I’ve learned to just say thank you, especially when it’s coming from a guy. When it comes frm a girl and it’s genuine and I can tell, I say thank you as well. I smile. I don’t get into the whole “fishing for more compliments” by saying I’m not I’m not and then the other person has to convince you you are. Sigh.
oh i love hearing that Kammie!
Ah, the infamous compliment from a woman. It always seem to mean more coming from each other probably because we can be so tough to please. I always try to compliment random strangers because I like when I get them. It makes me feel good so I want to share that same feeling.
I still love the sneaker and (aloe) water shot. Those are some hot tennis shoes.
I’ll be a random stranger to you anytime! 😉
I love this. Learning how to take complements will help us become happier with ourselves. It shows us how others really see us, not what we think we see when we look in the mirror.
yes yes, my thoughts exactly!
I actually posted something about this on my Facebook last Monday! We have Zumba right after work on Mondays, and I complimented one of our ladies and immediately she started pointing out flaws that only she could see. She wouldn’t allow for someone else to say those mean things about her, why is she saying them about herself?
It has taken me a long time to realize that perfect doesn’t exist and I should learn to be content in my imperfection. That doesn’t mean I don’t aim to lift more weights or run farther/faster, but at the end of the day, realizing that I am enough just the way I am. Also, learn to take a compliment, ladies! It is COMPLETELY okay to know you have great arms and accept a compliment without “balancing” it with 2 negative statements about yourself.
Okay, I’m done ranting. Thanks for the sharing!
i love this rant, much needed to hear. xxoo
oh to have the confidence of a child 🙂
your niece is so pretty…those blue eyes and dark hair, goodness!!
hope you had a great wknd!
Katie
When I was little, my mama would ask me, “Heather, how did you get so pretty?” and I would respond with, “God made me that way!” There for a little while (when I found it difficult to love/accept myself), it was hard for me to take a compliment, but recently, I’ve gotten a lot better about smiling and saying thank you. I know that when I give a compliment, I mean it 100%…otherwise why would I waste my time? So if someone is making an extra effort to brighten my day, I should be thankful for that! 🙂
that’s the best response ever! i think you should keep saying that, cause it’s true! <3
I am constantly getting frustrated with women who simply will not accept compliments and put up defenses automatically. Chances are, there is a reason those women are getting complimented (because they are awesome!) and should own it. 🙂 By the way, you are awesome Lindsay. Own it. 😉
ahh, i love you woman! you are awesome!
I loved everything about this post. It’s SO true and I am a complete offender of that. I hold myself to ridiculous standards but am able to acknowledge and admire even the smallest achievement of others. It’s something I am continually working on!
i think we’re all working on it. Gotta be aware of our own small victories too, ya know?
Well said. I must admit I am guilty of this one. I always turn it into a joke and squirm uncomfortably…I gotta work on that.
i’d think you would be shouting from the roof tops, you are amazing!
This is a really good point! It’s weird that it’s so normal to deflect a compliment, isn’t it?
It’s important to be modest but accepting a compliment or giving a compliment is important as well. Good friendships are built on trust so accepting a nice thing that someone has said about you is part of being a good friend 🙂
Love this reminder about compliments! It is way easier to give than to receive.
My feel good this Friday is that it’s Thanksgiving up in Canada and I got a four-day weekend out of the deal!
(by the way- your niece is all of the above, and I’m glad she knows it :))
I am totally going to make that FREE COMPLIMENTS thing and post it on my apartment door and see if anyone takes one!!!! OMG yes, genius! 😉
Great post Lindsay, and I often see this amongst my female friends- rarely do they accept a compliment but take a negative spin on it!
You’ve just sparked an epic egg craving now. Lunch = decided.
well keep on them and tell them to be thankful. then go make them eggs! 😉 with vegemite and bbq!
HI!!! On the compliments – be patient! 😉 It took me years & years to accept compliments – I am still a work in progress on how I feel about myself but at least I say thank you to compliments now! 🙂 Some you can see thru & they really are just fishing for more but many women have never been taught to like themselves – I was one & as I said, still working on it… It is a tough world for women & as you know, I have been writing about the social media crap. 😉
Moving on – OMG, pic of you & the niece!!! LOVE!!!!!
Recipe & workout – YES!!!!!
but i love that you are opening up and are embracing your confidence now! you are amazing, just know that.
One of the things I can say that I do well is accept compliments. Growing up, my mom was not one to do that, and I always hated to see how uncomfortable it made everyone. People brush compliments aside as a way of avoiding that feeling of uncomfortableness, but it only makes it worse….for everyone.
So, no. I’m not vain (okay, maybe I am a little). I just know how to say thanks. And I really do appreciate all of the compliments I get. That they are few and far between….well, that’s a different story. 😀
that’s how my mom was and I hated it. Way to be a confident woman. You knew that already though, right? xxoo
Funny story.. I’m running a 5K tomorrow and I went to packet pick up during the work day. When I brought back my packet everyone said “oh you’re running the half?” To which I immediately said “what are you nuts?!” And then I thought about this post and how I should take that as a compliment and just say thank you 🙂
I absolutely love that! way to say THANK YOU and best of luck tomorrow. Have a great race!
HAHA! High-Fives to that response…I am totally guilty of not accepting a compliment, but then other times I am able to say BRING IT and keep them coming. 😉 That bowl of awesomenss is right up my ally. I’ve been making a lot of budget friendly randomness and they’re damn good.
I am learning more and more to accept compliments and almost more importantly, to GIVE compliments. I think it is so important to pay it forward and recognize hard work! Love you friend and I promise to always take your compliment AND give it 🙂 you are beautiful inside and out! xoxo
you are beautiful. Thank you for all you do and say!
Love it. But I’m also guilty of it. Ian gets on to me about it all the time, so I’ve learned to just tell him “thank you”, but it’s still hard for me, especially when compliments are coming from other women. That really is pretty awful!
And LOVING that egg bowl. I have eggs at least once a day. I love them, and they’re so versatile! (And relatively cheap!) We’ve been talking about having chickens at our new house for that reason, actually ;). They’re the healthiest poor-man protein!
i remember you “oh no, not me” when i gave you a compliment. I almost smacked you, just kidding! LOL!
Love you, you are awesome–> YES YOU ARE
YES. YES. YES. I talk about how important it is to smile and say thank you to compliments all the time. C’mon ladies – know you’re awesome! GREAT POST LC!! And definitely going to rock that workout tmrw!
that’s right, rock it!! and let me know how the work out goes!
makes me miss my niece 😉 can’t wait to see her this Thanksgiving!!
and AMEN sista! this is sooo true. I catch myself not accepting compliments, but realize it and know that I should be grateful for compliments not being ashamed or feeling like I don’t deserve it 🙂 thanks as always for the great life reminder!! hugs
I learned years ago just to say thank you when I receive a compliment. I agree with you, I hate it when women can’t take a compliment, feel the need to deny it. I think it may be left over from an era when girls were supposed to be shy and self effacing, and to accept a compliment meant you were too full of yourself. Whatever the reason, just stop it women!!!
I’ve been trying out the Kind bars too and they are amazing. I have to just bring one with me to work or I’ll snack my way through all of them! Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt for me!
I’m guilty of brushing off compliments, but I have been trying to get better at it! We all are unique and beautiful and perfectly made by God. Shouldn’t we accept compliments??? If only I could get that through my thick skull… lol!
Being open and honest takes a deep spirituality, a kind of faith and a lot of self love. Like leaping off a cliff and knowing that a net will be there to catch you. You have that Lindsay, you have that gift. I have been observing this for quite some time and since we are on the topic of compliments, I thought it appropriate to pay you one.
that has to be the most amazing compliment i have ever received… SO THANK YOU!
i can’t believe you said that back to the woman who didn’t take your compliment! you are so brave! i can’t stand “fat talk”. i also don’t know how people will take a compliment so i try to compliment clothes or accessories instead of bodies but even with accessories or outfits people always feel the need to say “oh god it looks awful on me”. if you really thought it did would you have picked it out?!
omg the new kind bar with the chili sounds awesome and they have low sugar bars now?! must try.
ditto! and great way to change the compliment focus
My feel good this Friday—Took a boot-camp class this morning plus being able to enjoy the weekend without worrying about studying for exams next week since I took Two this week!
woohoo! enjoy the weekend, no studying and lots of fun!
Amen on the compliments sister. I couldn’t agree more. It’s something I used to struggle with a lot, but I’m getting better. Thanks for the reminder!
I loved this post! I had a conversation like this with a friend back when I was in college (over 10 years ago!) and it really got me thinking of women I know, my own mother and myself included, and how we never just said “thank you” to compliments. So I started saying thank you MOST of the time. I’m still guilty of turning them down, but I DO say thank you most of the time now! And it’s the strangest thing… many people are taken aback… like they expect me to say “oh, no, not me!” I hope things change. No one has perfect self esteem, but it sure would be nice if we all made the effort to see the amazing parts of ourselves!
Love this!
As I’ve learned to love & like myself more & more after struggling with body image issues for years, my ability to accept compliments has increased. I think the person needs to really recognize how special she is to make it possible to ACCEPT the compliment. And that comes with time & a lot of self love. I think we as women are WAY too hard on ourselves, and thus makes it harder to accept when someone says something nice to us. We are compassionate beings to others….why can’t we do the same to ourselves?! 🙂
Mmmmm Kind bars!
I always say, “Thank you,” to compliments, but in the back of my mind I always say something negative. I do it secretly, though. 😉 My feel good this Friday is downtime with my mom and just laying around to read a book.
This is a great post, Lindsay. I also find myself saying “oh, not me” or “really, I don’t feel like I look that way” a lot… Especially since I hit 40. I just had an old friend from HS tell me that I look the EXACT same way I did in HS (22 yrs ago) and my response was “really? But I have SO much more gray hair!” LOL. Why are we so hard on ourselves? And yes, your niece is SOOOO cute!
It’s true. You are always right 🙂
I agree that it’s so hard to give women compliments and I know that for a very long time, I had a hard time taking them. Now, before I say anything else, I pause and say thank you because I want the person giving the compliment to know that I appreciate their words and that they have chosen to share those words with me. And your niece? So stinking cute!
When I was in high school, our youth group leader spoke to us young ladies a lot about taking compliments and I have always tried my best since them to accept them.
Even if I’m not feeling great about my hair, smile, clothing {whatever is being complimented} I always answer with a “thank you.” If I’m feeling fierce that day I’ll add something like “I do look smaller! I have been working out so hard!” 🙂
Low sugar bars??! Oooh! need to check those out!
I’m one those about the compliments dammit. I really do need to work on that. What’s with us women eh??
It’s almost become a societal expectation that we refuse the compliments given to us! I try to always respond with a simple “thank you” instead of explaining the compliment away.
Great post <3.
Hmmmm, that BBQ scramble sounds really interesting. I’m not an egg person, but I’m trying to make myself eat them for protein. This might work. Honestly, I’m not always great at receiving compliments. Like Laura said, there’s this immediate urge to explain away the compliment. Like, it just blurts out. I think women often feel like when they accept a compliment they’re being, oh what’s the word, egotistical? That’s not quite the word I’m after (it’s too early LOL). But I honestly have been trying to get better about it. To accept it and be happy with it. Work. In. Progress.
I love your response! We are so quick to shoot down or explain away compliments… I usually do say thank you, but then follow up with some kind of but…. why do we do that? No idea. I guess we don’t want to appear proud? But this is a great reminder to be confident and say, yes, I know, thank you! 🙂 Kids are so real.
I think I told you already I accept all compliments hahaha & definitely say thank you. Love hearing them! I think for some women it’s a sense of unworthiness as to why they can’t accept compliments which is sad bc we are all worthy of compliments & feeling good about ourselves, yes?? :). I think the more we as women work on our self esteem & what’s going on inside of us emotionally the more we will be able to accept compliments. We are all awesome…. Just accept it hahahah ;-). Love this post so thank you!! 🙂
I always say thank you. Never no. Even if it’s something I never would have thought about myself. I accept it. I embrace. I savour it.
Then, I think about it. And find my own truth within in. To see it. And believe it xo
I can attest that my almost 9-yr. old daughter has that confidence, too, and I don’t ever want it to go away! I am always amazed at it. She knows what’s what and isn’t afraid to say it. I think that as a society, we are programmed as women to be a bit demure, to not be boastful. I know I always have a tough time tooting my own horn. In the running world, for instance, the best I’ll do is “I’m running pretty well right now.” Cheers to trying to get that confidence back and sharing it with others!
I love this. I think it’s so important to compliment others AND compliment yourself. That’s what makes us more able to accept compliments we receive! I sometimes worry I don’t compliment my loved ones enough, so I always make sure to make them really worth it! 🙂 happy weekend! YOU are a gorgeous person, inside and out!
agreed. we need to recognize the good! and thank you friend for your kind words. I think the same of you, and that is a genuine compliment you must take. <3
I love this. You’re so right it’s as if we are embarrassed about taking compliments. But we all love them even when it seems as if we argue about it. Life is short love and appreciate those kind moments!
Confession… I’m one of those women who has a hard time taking a compliment. I don’t straight up disagree with them, but I do get all shy and awkward. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that society seems to suggest that accepting compliments and feeling good about ourselves makes us stuck up b*tches. It’s sad that we live in a world where it’s more acceptable for women to tear themselves apart than to hold their head up high…
You are SO right about compliments! I actually have an easier time accepting them from men than from women too. My chiro said I had good arm muscle and I said “I know.” A lady in my office complimented my hair and I said “Oh no! I need a cut! It’s bushy. But thank you so much for being kind!” WTF?!
I must compliment YOU. This #strangebutgood rocks. I love the chipotle idea!!! And I love you. Mwah! Happy Friday, my beautiful, ballsy friend.
Your niece is such a cutie! I say thank you to compliments, but I kind of feel shy about it when I get them. Not sure why this is. It makes me feel sort of awkward. Guess I need to be more accepting of them. Need to work on this!
I find it such a beautiful trait that kids are able to be so confident in themselves, but as adults it’s sad to think that are confidence doesn’t measure up to how we once viewed ourselves.
We should feel good about ourselves and accept that dang compliment. For some reason I always have a hard time accepting them, but why is that. I deserve to feel good about myself!
I can always give out so many compliments, but I find it hard to receive them for myself. It’s definitely getting better as I work on finding myself more, which is a good thing.
You are such an wonderful, beautiful, and wise friend – so I want to give you that compliment today! You always amaze me with your words of wisdom.
My feel good this Friday is that it’s Canadian Thanksgiving!
thank you friend. You are an amazing beautiful soul and i cherish your words and friendship
I’m so guilty of down-playing compliments – it’s so much easier for me to turn it around and try to compliment the person back instead of just gracefully accepting it. Something to work on!!!
it drives me nuts when people pawn off compliments and don’t just say thank you. i, too, often remind women to just say thank you and accept the compliment – clearly there’s a reason to why i’m giving it!
I probably rock too hard at taking compliments.
life is short.
I never know when Ill get another! 🙂
I’m the same way, my mom always told me that when someone gives you a compliment you smile and say thank you even if you don’t agree. I’ve kind of learned to love them….. my pet peeve is when someone gives you a compliment by way of insulting themselves.
girl…. WHAT AN AWESOME POST! <3 😀
It kind of ties into HFF don't you think!? Giving ourselves compliments and FEELING GOOD ABOUT OURSELVES ;)???? I think you and I have something going here??? 😉 Collaboration in the future????? 😉 hehehehehe!
I love this post and I also love your recipe! 😀 I love bbq sauce with my eggs and i loved this picture when i saw it on IG this past week! i will have to try it for sure 🙂 i was going to make my own homemade bbq sauce, so i am excited for that! 😀 two recipes in one meal??? 😉 hehehe
i am feeling AMAZING today because i got a 92% in my first course at school and i am so proud 😀
I am so glad you wrote about this. I used to be terribleeee at accepting compliments. It was awful but I was not a confidence person. Now I am so happy that I can say “thank you”. Have a feel good Friday and fabulous weekend!
I wonder if it’s hard for some to take a compliment because they only see the negative in themselves. I think it’s a personal issue. Sad, but true. Also, they probably aren’t used to getting compliments. You are surrounded by positive people they constantly see the good in you and I think you can see that yourself. I went for the longest time not really seeing the good in me. I have finally gotten to the point where I do see it and when others notice, well, you better believe I take that compliment. You are such a positive person with such an amazing heart. While others may not take your compliments at first, definitely keep giving them. Maybe that will encourage them to see the good you see. Love you lady! Have an amazing weekend! xoxox
you are so right. I need more compassion.
No! I didn’t mean it like that! I know exactly what you’re saying! I’m agreeing with you. I can also see the side where you always see the worst in yourself. I grew up with my grandfather calling me “fat cow #2” (my mom was #1). I still see my thunder thighs even though I know now I don’t have them any more. Physically, I’m a wreck. I hate the mesh I have from my tumor being removed, but Tony is so sweet and so complimentary that I see past that (most days…also I call him crazy and I really should just say thank you). I think we need to learn to accept compliments from others. You are the most compassionate person I know! I would never say that.