I am learning to pause not only at Go, but also at Thank you.

Reflection: The Art of Receiving the Compliment

I am learning to pause not only at Go, but also at Thank you.

For years, I rushed to give credit away — to balance praise, to make sure no one thought I was too proud. It came from kindness, yes, but also from an old fear: that pride was dangerous, that admiration could spoil, that it was safer to seem humble than to risk being misunderstood. Compliments, in that world, were fragile things — best redirected before they grew too bright.

But now I see something softer beneath that pattern: a longing to belong without guilt.
To accept appreciation without apology.
To stand in the light for a moment and say, Yes — I made this. And I’m grateful for the help that shaped it, but also for the hands that are my own.

It isn’t arrogance; it’s acknowledgment.
Gratitude doesn’t need to rush out of me — it can rest beside pride, shoulder to shoulder, both true, both gentle.

So when I hear, “You did this beautifully,” I practice breathing before deflecting. I let the words land, let them touch the ground of who I am becoming.

Because it’s not about thinking I can do everything.
It’s about finally letting myself feel that I’ve done something — and done it well.

WE&P by: EZorrillaMc.