From an anonymous commenter to a previous post comes an important point to be made (Thanks, Anonymous!) : How your low self-esteem can disrespect others.

Now, at first glance, that seems an odd statement. But consider this scenario.

Someone pays you a compliment about how nice you look today, and you immediately launch into a dissertation on how you really don’t like this outfit, but it is all you had left in the closet and how your hair really needs a trim and how the pink lip stick you’re wearing really is too bright for your skin tone and….

You get the idea. You immediately argue that you don’t deserve the compliment.

What have you just done to that person?

You’ve been rude as all get out. You’ve effectively told them, “No, you’re wrong - I don’t look nice today. You have terrible taste in clothes, you can’t tell a good haircut from a sheepdog and you must be color blind, because this lipstick is all wrong for me.”

What just happened? They told you their opinion, and you replaced it with YOUR opinion.

Not nice. In fact, rather arrogant, don’t you think? Very disrespectful.

Instead, just smile and say, “Thank you.” You and your inner critic can argue it out in private, later, if you have to.