#11: Accept compliments graciously.

Date Completed: 9/18/2010

I don’t know why it has always been difficult for me to accept compliments, but Lisa and I both put this one on our lists this year. We’ve been making a concerted effort to try to say thank you more often, hoping that we could re-train ourselves and our common reactions. An example of how it usually goes:

Nice Person – I like how you did your hair today!
Me – Really? Ick. My hair never holds curl. Humidity makes it worse.

Since this list item was more of a behavior change goal, it was more challenging to determine when I could cross it off the list. But, I think I demonstrated progress at a recent formal event, so I'm crossing it off THE LIST. I attended Opera Tasting 2010 (wine tasting and MN Opera sampling) with several of my friends and wore a dress that I bought in a rush, three hours before the event. All night, random strangers kept approaching me telling me they liked my dress. It was a little overwhelming because people also continued to comment through Facebook even after the event. Anyway, one notable exchange occurred as we were all departing to the after-party. Three girls stopped us and commented about my dress. Instead of my usual type of reaction, the exchange went something like this:

Nice Girls – We have been talking about your dress all night. We absolutely love it!
Me – Thank you! That’s so sweet of you! I found it at BCBG and the best part is that when I checked out, the gal told me it had just been marked down. They have a couple more if you hurry.
Nice Girls – That’s what’s great about Minnesota. People are so cool. Only in Minnesota would someone tell you where they got a great dress!

Mission complete.