I'm blushing

A wise woman with a deep background in communications, advertising, PR and academia, once said to me, "You need to learn how to to take a compliment better."

That statement doesn't reveal any new insight. 

I've always been the first to admit that accepting compliments is not my strong suit. Bench pressing is my strong suit. 

Perhaps it's a remnant of the same Imposter Syndrome that plagues all copywriters and art directors who are convinced that by selling out their meager talents to the highest corporate bidder they have rendered themselves unpraiseworthy.

Years ago I was walking through my neighborhood and spotted a younger colleague who I had met at Chiat/Day. He was hosting a party in his front yard and his guests, all of whom had hair and worked in the business, appeared to be 30 years my minor -- aka, "the Kids."

My friend introduced me, "Hey everybody I want to introduce you to my friend...a great copywriter...He's a Legend."

I chugged the PBR (undrinkable, at best, but favored by hipsters) as fast as I could and made for the exit.

There are a handful of people on this Earth who warrant an introduction like that. I'm at the bottom of the waiting list, assuming that list runs from here to Alpha Centauri.

Every week or so, much more for my prolific friend George Tannenbaum, I'll get an email or a text from out of the blue, often from a stranger who I only know in the digital manner. For example, and I will block  out the identity of this person for discretionary purposes...

And that one is decidedly less gushy than many of the others. 

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate validation as much as anyone. I believe all writers want and need that. 

I was just never comfortable hearing it. I'm probably more comfortable with the notion that, "I suck. If I were any good at this, publishers/agents/studio chiefs would be pounding at my door like an eager Swat Team wanting to play with their new battering toys."

In any case, I'm getting better at this whole compliment-acceptance thing.

Will I be good at it?

Probably not, it takes a while to overcome 64 years of well-earned humility. 

Doh!