Is it so hard to believe that we might be truly worthy of validation of our positive qualities? Is it so hard to believe a therapist, who sees most of us both at our worst and at our best, would be just the person to recognize those qualities? Is it so hard to accept a compliment gracefully rather than negating it with "oh, they don't mean it" or "oh, that isn't true about me?"

One of the most uncomfortable things I have learned is how to accept a compliment gracefully, without negating the positive recognition from that person who offered it up. But I have learned to say, "Thank you," and I have learned to allow myself to feel positively when recognized positively by others, whether that person be a family member, a friend, a therapist, or even a stranger. It doesn't matter to me if a person is just being polite. Fantastic, a human being choosing to be polite! Oh! The Horror! I'm done with beating myself down, and I'm done with cynically lacking trust in other people to make their own decisions about who to say nice things to. I prefer to live with a bit more optimism and hope in my fellow humans than that.