I attended a fancy schmancy dinner with The Big Guy last week. I spent some extra time on my hair and make up and lots of extra time on my dress and shoes. I walked into the dining room and someone complimented me on my sweater and I immediately said "Oh, I just wore it here last week, but it was chilly and I couldn't find anything else to match and..." blah, blah, blah...
It occurred to me halfway through the explanation that a simple "Thank you" would have sufficed, but instead I was trying to talk her out of it. Like, "I know you think this looks nice, but you're obviously mistaken" What the heck? Why couldn't I take the compliment and actually believe it?!?
Many of us participated in Beth's Get Your Face On Party last week and I've never read such kind comments from all of you. Such support and love when all I wanted to do is photoshop all sorts of arrows into my before picture pointing out all my age spots and red blotches. But, at the same time, it was freeing to just strip it all down and put it out there for the world to see. "I'm real! I have zits! I have under eye circles and a witch hair that grows on my chin! I'm wearing glasses! Hello, can you hear me world?!?"
Many girls made mention of their faults in their own Get Your Face On posts, when all I saw were piercing blue eyes, fantastic hair, and the cutest freckles ever. Something's got to change. We're broken in that way. We are all beautiful, why can't we see it in ourselves?
So, today for Feedback Friday I have one thing I need from each of you (even you sneaky little lurkers). I want you to comment below telling me something about yourself you like. I'm sorry, it's a requirement today - trust me, it's for your own good. Don't be shy or feel uncomfortable, just DO IT! Think about what you like about yourself and tell me, no apologies. Let's break out of this cycle of putting ourselves down and begin to see the beauty we were all blessed with.
So, tell me this Feedback Friday...
What do you love about you?
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I'm funny and I like my eyes!
ReplyDeleteI have soo one the same thing!
ReplyDeleteLet's see, I like my eyes and my hair! : )
oops! I meant to say done not one!
ReplyDeleteI likey! One thing - well I think that I like my ability to not be afraid to try something new.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can so relate. Except for me, I HATE those dinners and if someone compliments me, I babble on because I'm nervous more than anything else. Then afterward, internally I'm cursing my babbling ability. Eh.
I do the same thing when people compliment me. Someone pointed it out to me one time and told me how rude it was. So I am trying to work on it.
ReplyDeleteI love my eyes, smile, and personality but wish I had your talent.
xo
Blair
Ha! You are very pretty I think, with or without makeup! Over the years I have learned to just say Thank You. The biggest reply I used to say was, "oh I got this on sale at ...." They didn't ask where I bought it - just that it was nice! haha
ReplyDeleteI would say I like my green eyes the best. ;-)
I also do that.....just say thank you....I will work on that!!!!
ReplyDeletehmmmmmmm......what I like about myself....very hard question!!!! I am going to go with the fact that I am able to laugh at myself and know that I am not perfect....but what you see is what you get.
have a great weekend!!!
I'm with everyone else today, I like my eyes. One feature that doesn't change that much over the years. I've reconnected with lots of old schoolmates in the past few years and everyone always says they know me because of my eyes.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Thank you is enough sometimes. I like my hair.
ReplyDeleteI tend to do the same nervous babbling, when given a compliment. Guess I need to make an effort to simply say, "Thank you".
ReplyDeleteI have great teeth, and a nice smile (thanks for all that orthodontia, Mom and Dad!) :)
I think we all need a little more 13 Going On 30 attitude (remember the elevator scene where the little girl liked her dress...classic!)
ReplyDeleteI'd say I Like my glasses ;) they make me feel a bit funky and less mommy!
Hey Jen~ GREAT post! The words you spoke are so true! And last week when I participated in Beths party I thought some of the very same things you did! There were gorgeous women putting themselves down left and right. It is unfortunate that we do this to ourselves ~ ME INCLUDED!
ReplyDeleteWhat do I like about me ~ my eyes and my lips.
Have a wonderful day ~ from one Hottie to another! Ok maybe I'm getting a little carried away:)
It's that funny about the human condition, the way we are socially honed to not take a compliment. When ironically, receiving compliments not only make us happy, but giving them as well. I'd have to say my best feature is my long legs -- Thanks for making us appreciate ourselves just the way we are!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I guess sometimes I like my hair...sometimes. Meaning, when it cooperates and doesn't turn into a huge frizz-ball/Medusa-looking hot mess! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI've always wished for straight hair, but honestly, it doesn't work on me...apparently, I have my hair for a reason...
:) Good topic, Jen!
With all my lumpy bumpy and out of proportion parts, my nice little waist is still looking good!
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of all you beautiful women! Keep it up and carry that little bit of love around with you all day!
ReplyDeleteI have done that very thing with a compliment.
ReplyDeleteSomething I like about me, my smile.
I love my smile! I am not worrying about wrinkles or lines on my face because if I have laugh lines, I will have lived a full and wonderful life!
ReplyDeleteWow I wish I knew about that "Get Your Face On" Party. That's a great idea. Amazing that what we see in others we don't see in ourselves. Why?!
ReplyDeleteI say this as I stall and consider getting the heck outta here before u realize I didn't say anything about me.
Seriously I dunno. But I promise to think about it k?
i like my face and my hair and i love being short!!
ReplyDeleteI love my teeth and my smile. Oh, and my feet!
ReplyDeleteI am coming out of the lurking corner.
ReplyDeleteI like my eyes. They are a nice warm, chocolate color. I even like the wrinkles around them, because that means I have been smiling...a lot.
First can I say AMEN to your post...Then can I say that it makes me happy there are already 22 posts from people finding something good about themselves...Awesome...
ReplyDelete...I like my freckles and wished I got to see them year round (dang winter:)...
When I was a teenager my mom made me make a list of everything I liked about myself and I had to have at least 25 things on it. Little did I know at the time it would have such an effect on my confidence years later. I think that list is precisely the reason that I've always liked myself just the way I am. I'm not perfect but nothing changes overnight so I better be okay with the me I am now!
ReplyDeleteI love my blue eyes, my long legs, the fact that I have a butt and that I'm super tall!
I've got to go with lips. I get them from my Dad.
ReplyDeleteI love my smile and my ablity to tan super quickly without burning.
ReplyDeleteSo many times I'll respond to a compliment with something like, "Would you believe Target, $5?"
ReplyDeleteThank you - is what I meant to say.
Um, lesse, I like my eyes and smile.
:)
Girlfriend, I love you more and more everyday.
ReplyDeleteI like my butt-- is that allowed over here? ;) haha
Rachelle
It's always a constant struggle not to over-share or self-deprecate. Or, when someone says thank you, to so you're welcome instead of no problem. All the same bag.
ReplyDeleteLet's see, I love my creativity and my stubbornness :)
I love my eye color (the eyes themselves, well... I got bifocals in high school, so I guess you could say we've had our differences). I love my hands and feet.
ReplyDeleteI also love that I can always find something to be interested in. Whatever flaws my life may have, I am not bored with it! :-)
Great topic! Glad to see that we can love ourselves afterall. It gets so hard sometimes in this crazy world of "Lose weight, get smarter, make more, do more, be more".
ReplyDeleteMy Father in law calls me PollyAnna because he thinks I am too happy and perky all the time. I actually like it. {And I think he must -- at least a little-- because he calls me Polly Anna, and not "that *** that our son married".}
I have really awesome eyes. And my eyelashes are long and naturally curl, which is super nice. And sometimes I have really great hair. And I made the cutest babies ever.
ReplyDeleteI often answer compliments the same way. And when I am able to squeak out a "Thank You!", I feel like I'm being arrogant. It's a problem.
ReplyDeleteI like my blue eyes and my sense of humor.
I love my sense of humor!
ReplyDeletedid I miss it or did you not answer your own question?
ReplyDeletei'll think about my answer and come back and see if you've got yours up!
great post, Jennifer!
If we are talking physically then I love my long straight blonde hair. Many girls wish for the curls but I love the straight!
ReplyDeleteI really like my face - it's a blend of both my parents and their cultures, and I think it's an interesting face. I like make-up a lot but I do like my bare face too. OK, assignment fulfilled! Miki
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing! I love my neck and shoulders. Sometimes I like my hair...sometimes.
ReplyDeleteFeet, I actually like my feet--the way they look, not the way they feel. All the toes are in a row and no wierd bumps or anything. I only wish they didn't ache. I'm a lurker, so this is new for me. But thanks for the chance to say a nice word...we are all programmed wrong, thats why we can't take a compliment, even if we like it.
ReplyDeleteGracefully taking compliments is something that I struggle with too. I like my big, bright blue eyes that are sometimes dark blue and sometimes gray.
ReplyDeleteYour post made me think of this comic strip that I saw the other day: http://www.explosm.net/comics/1965/
I like my eyes. They are brown but turn green every now and then. I love their shape and the fact that I can pretty much rock any eye shadow color.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I like my eyelashes. Great post!
ReplyDeletePhysically, it's hard to find something, however, I guess it would have to be my dimples. I'm lucky I am generous, sincere, funny, loving, outgoing etc. etc. to make up for the rest!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Isn't it wierd that we shrug off compliments all the time. And it's not like guys do it, I don't think they care much, but I think girls care WAY too much! It's like you said, I'm always saying stuff like that and I'm sure it comes out like "If you really knew me, you'd know that I'm not really this good looking. It's the make up." Wierd, I need to be better.
ReplyDeleteI like my eyes. I think they have great shape, and they're fun to put makeup on. :)
My skin has been awesome lately.
ReplyDeleteThat was really difficult for me. Is this like therapy?
I love my freckles & green eyes with my red hair. I also love that I have patience.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, we need to look at ourselves more postive everyday and accept others kind words. I'm one of those that is still learning to acknowledge & accept the compliants that come my way.
Thanks again!
Busted. I didn't answer my own question. I like my smile. I think I look better when I wear it :)
ReplyDeleteme too! a smile makes everyone look better. good answer.
ReplyDeleterecently i'm liking my eyelashes. i've never been able to wear mascara, without looking like a racoon in 5 minutes. but i think i've figured it out! ha! i'm only in my 30's but it's never too late, i guess!
What a great post. I too always come up with excuses instead of just saying thank you. It drives my husband crazy.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....I guess what I like most about myself is my loyalty. Once you are a friend, you are a friend for life.
i stumbled onto your blog somehow (not even sure now what my path was...) and wow! this is a great post! i hope you don't care if i link to it from my blog and also share a some of the things you wrote.
ReplyDeleteand, just so i am playing by the rules, i love my eyes. and i love that my daughter got my eyes too. :)