Terry gave a beautiful dinner party. From the flowers to the wine, it was evident she put a lot of effort and thought into every detail. When her friends complimented her on the extraordinary evening, Terry replied, “Oh, it was nothing. I had a lot of help.”

Jennifer gave an outstanding presentation to the marketing department of her company. It was obvious she did a significant amount of research and came up with some noteworthy conclusions. With precision and confidence, she presented her findings in a user friendly format. Later, when her supervisor passed on the great feedback, she retorted, “Oh, all I did was tweak an old presentation, it was no big deal.”

Why do we discount our work and our efforts? Are we trying to be modest? Do we think it makes us look even better if we show that we achieved great results without effort? Or, do we not want to admit we cared enough to put in the time and energy?

We must own our accomplishments! It is ok to be proud! Maybe we are so accustomed to discounting compliments, we don’t even remember how to accept credit. Try something like, “Thank you, I am thrilled that it came out the way I hoped it would.”

Do you discount compliments? laura@realwomenwin.com