I have never been that great in taking a compliment. Although, I most definitely know how to toot my own horn and blow my own trumpet. I actually wish I had learned to play the trumpet in school. It is such a vibrant, energetic instrument. Instead I learned to play the clarinet. And, who didn’t? Were there ever any other instruments handed out to kids in school? Anyway, back to compliments. I never really received compliments for my clarinet playing but I did receive praise for my storytelling. And praise is good for the soul. It’s good for getting through a boring day. It’s good for motivating oneself upward. Now compliments are a slightly different thing than praise. Praise is earned. Or so it seems. You receive praise for a job well done. Compliments can be random and maybe even a bit manipulative. Ouch. That was a New York curmudgeon thing to say. Wasn’t it? Besides my sometimes skeptical take on compliments, I am saddened when I see others time and time again, walk away from a compliment. I often wonder what it is that is holding them back from accepting someone’s nice words. I do see that some women just blush and walk away. One woman did tell me a long time ago that she just didn’t see what others saw in regards to her being. Over time however she started to take compliments when I kept egging her on. We had turned it in a joke of sorts. However, such a tactic doesn’t work with everyone. And there are so many out there that just walk away from a compliment and cannot take it in. Nor process it in any way. Of course, some will note that younger generations now do not tend to walk away from a compliment but instead run head first into them. I know that I have seen my son eat them up. But as many urge women to lean into the leadership roles, we also have to encourage many to not walk away from a compliment. They need to lean into those as well and absorb them through every pore in their bodies.