Monday, November 5, 2012

Enviable Problem

Not for the first time, I find myself struggling with how to accept praise. I know how obnoxious that sounds, and I don't mean it as some indirect form of bragging. Trumpeting my own accomplishments is as unpleasant to me as I imagine it sounds to others. I don't think I have any more than my own fair share anyway. Other people just seem to process it all better than I do. I'm getting better though, or I think I am.

When someone complements me on something, the first impulse I have is to correct them- to point out whatever mitigating factors make their compliment less valid or entirely invalid. They don't like that, of course. It goes beyond modesty and really veers into the territory of insult, calling into question as you are their judgement. I've gotten to where whatever someone says that is earnestly meant as praise, I say thank you, adding nothing more to it than credit to others where it is due. That seems to go over all right.

It's funny to think that praise can be as hard to deal with as criticism. Much of what I do during my waking hours is meant to elicit attention in some form- compliments, laughter and such. It comes infrequently, but when it does, you'd think I'll be all over it. Instead, it's very much like the dog who chases after a car. Just what is it his intention to do upon catching it? I suppose that I have so little expectation of my efforts hitting their mark that I have no plan in the event of success.

As I said though, I am improving. Success seems to happen more and more, so at least by trial and error I am figuring out how to proceed in a best case scenario. I have got the hanging of saying thank you a dozen times in a minute when that is called for. Next to learn is the art of leveraging each success into a larger one. To this point, I have come to a dead stop after too many triumphs. I mean to keep the next one rolling.

1 comment:

Frenchie said...

Very good insight!

Post a Comment

What say you, netizen?