74. "You really have no right to deny another person's perception of you."

"Saying thank you is difficult for some people...

Accepting compliments -- receiving very supportive statements directed toward you, or about you to a third person -- is perhaps an even more challenging task, particularly difficult if you are not feeling good about yourself...

Think about it: you really have no right to deny another person's perception of you. If you say, "Oh, you just caught me on a good day!" or "It wasn't anything special" or "It was an accident that it turned out well," you have in effect said the compliment giver has poor judgment. It is as if you told that person, "You're wrong!" Try to allow everyone the right to feelings; if they are positive toward you, do others -- and yourself -- the courtesy of accepting.

You don't have to go around praising youself or taking credit for achievements that are not your own. However, when another person sincererly wishes to convey a positive comment about you, allow the expression without rejection or qualification. Try saying at the least, "It's hard for me to accept that, but thank you," or better yet simply, "That feels good" or "I like to hear that.""

From "Your Perfect Right" by Robert Alberti, Ph.D., and Michael Emmons, Ph.D., Impact Publishers, Atascadero, California