The compliment I didn’t know how to accept

Last week, I shared the first lesson from my Broadway BootCamp experience:

Sometimes the biggest opportunities for growth begin with doing something you’ve never done before.

This week, I want to tell you what happened after I did that thing.

As I mentioned last week, I’d never sung a solo in front of a room full of strangers.

Needless to say… I was nervous.

The song I chose wasn’t just another Broadway tune.

It meant something to me.

It reminded me of my son and the struggles he faced with suicidal thoughts. It reminded me of my brother, who we lost to suicide.

So by the time I finished singing, I wasn’t just emotionally exhausted because I’d performed.

I was emotionally exhausted because I’d shared something incredibly personal.

Afterwards, the instructor asked me about the story behind the song. We talked for a few minutes, and then she said something that completely caught me off guard.

She looked at me and said,

“I love the timbre of your voice.”

I actually responded with…

“What?”

Not because I was being rude.

I genuinely thought I’d misheard her.

She smiled and repeated herself.

“I love the timbre of your voice.”

And that’s when it hit me.

I started crying.

Not because someone complimented me.

But because no one had ever said that to me before.

If you know me, you know I often teach that when someone gives you a compliment, don’t brush it off.

Don’t make a joke.

Don’t explain it away.

Simply say, “Thank you.”

Funny enough…

When it was my turn to receive a compliment, I realized how difficult that can actually be.

The instructor must have seen the disbelief on my face because she smiled and said something I’ll never forget.

“Dino… I’m not nice. I’m honest. I would never tell you something that wasn’t true.”

Wow.

That moment reminded me that sometimes we become so used to focusing on our weaknesses that we stop believing people when they point out our strengths.

How many compliments have you dismissed over the years?

How many gifts have you convinced yourself you don’t really have?

Maybe the people around you can see something that you’ve been too close to notice.

This week, instead of brushing off the next compliment you receive…

Try something different.

Simply smile.

Say “Thank you.”

And let yourself believe it.

You never know what you might discover about yourself.

Until next week,

Dino