How Do You Handle A Compliment?

“You look amazing.”
“God you are gorgeous.”
“You are so beautiful.”
“That is a face you can see on a beauty product box.”

These are just some of the compliments I get more often than not (no pun intended.) But really when you get such compliments how should you handle it? How do you take a compliment?

When I was in High School we have this Social Studies teacher who always walks in the room holding her fan and say “Praise be Jesus and Mary…” Then we all get to reply “Now and Forever, Amen.” (This part is really irrelevant to my story but it’s one of her trademarks I can not forget.)

Anyway, that teacher instilled in my mind that when someone gives you a compliment, say thank you. It’s concise and polite.

It’s very common (Filipino trait) for someone being offered a compliment, like the one’s mentioned above to say “Aww shucks! Not really,” or just blush or smile. But the proper way, she says is to say thank you.

But sometimes some people would think you are being overly confident (Conversations With A Narcisist was an example of a person who is so full of herself) when you say thank you. So instead of appreciating the compliment some would say: “I am not!” or “You’re being biased!” Doing so either insults the person who offered the compliment thinking you are questioning their taste or you think they are just saying things you want to hear, when really it’s not the case or what you actually mean.

Others would think you might be fishing for more compliment. When someone says you are beautiful and you say you are not it will either prompt more compliment or you will either retract or accept.

Same thing goes with the compliments you get about your blog, where the most common I ever got that I see everywhere too, “Great Blog.” “Nice blog.” Some are already irked by the compliment and makes them think is it a genuine compliment or they are being polite. There was actually a thread about this at Blog Catalog, “I’m Tired of Being Told I’m Wonderful.”

So tell me with the above situation, what should you do? Tell me, how should you deal with a compliment?