Dear Friend,
I am sad to learn that you were bullied. I wish I had known you then to be there for you, and I hope those days are behind you.
On the subject of accepting compliments: Iām always surprised to learn how many folks struggle with this - self included. My current strategy is to simply be a friend to me: to appreciate my values and my strengths. Hopefully this will make compliments seem more real and deserving to me and, thus, empower me to accept compliments with grace.
I trust you to be a good person with admirable traits. Your Tumblr blog indicates thoughtfulness and wit - two qualities I consider necessary for friendship.
It is my opinion that Western culture has created something of a conflict between self-confidence and vanity. We are encouraged to be self-confident yet chastised for being vain. It can be intimidating to balance the two. There is, however, one exception: An application requires that we present our best and boast our accomplishments in order to be accepted for a position. That is one time it is essential we serve as agent for ourselves and market our best traits.
All those words to say this: Apply to yourself for the coveted position of friend. Present to yourself the traits you possess that best make you a good friend. And then be that friend to yourself. Accept the role of reminding yourself you are worthy of receiving compliments.
